


Kora: Mata Nui

by Omicron_The_IceQueen



Category: Bionicle - All Media Types
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-07-27
Updated: 2016-03-02
Packaged: 2017-11-10 21:25:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 22
Words: 35,395
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/470853
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Omicron_The_IceQueen/pseuds/Omicron_The_IceQueen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The seal between the worlds has been weakened and cracked by Makuta. The guardians of the Kora are scrambling to reawaken their charges, who are destined for the island of Mata Nui. With the Toa Nuva they must defend the Matoran and learn how to master their elements to become true heroes and guardians. But you have to survive in order to fore fill your destiny...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue: This is our world

**Author's Note:**

> Omie: The Kora are of my creation. I hope you enjoy this story as much as I did writing this!

In the time before time, far beyond what we humans know in myths and legends there was a universe with in a world. A being of great power, a true towering giant was the ruler and protector of this universe inside of him. He, the Great Spirit Mata Nui also created powerful beings known as the Toa. Their purpose: to further protect his people from the smaller dangers he could not always fore see.

Some Toa were made, others were once Matoran. They were all strong and brave, dedicated to protecting not only the Matoran but Mata Nui as well. Each Toa had a gift of an elemental power as well as a great Kanohi mask. They were able to control one of the six elements: Air, Water, Ice, Fire, Stone and Earth. Each Toa was strong and dangerous in their own way, while gentleness remanded in their hearts.

The Toa sometimes were alone, working solo. But a vast majority of the time they stayed in teams. Or rather families of six with each member representing a different element and thus balancing each other. Being strong where their brothers were vulnerable.

Toa were protectors, guardians and peace keepers but they were not the only ones to carry those duties.

Mata Nui, aware of other words that could do harm to his Matoran, made another kind of guardian. They were like the Toa, only ‘younger.’ Smaller then the Toa in stature, about half their size, the Kora were not as powerful in their elemental energy, thus why the Kora were considered younger. There were several teams, families of Kora. Always at least one set at a time, and all were watched over by a Toa group made for that reason.

In truth, the Kora were a back up plan incase the world of the Bionicle was warped in anyway with other worlds, such as the one of the humans. When ever the seal between the worlds were weakened and then possibly broken, the Kora would essentially wake up. Disguised as human, the Bionicle Kora would regain their true forms so they could make a new seal as well as making sure no one was away from their home worlds and in one they should not be in.

After that, the Kora would live out what was left of their lives with their Toa in the human world before being reborn again. 

This time, when the seal between the worlds weakened, there was someone on the other side that should not have been there.

The Makuta, the lord of shadows, had forced his brother Mata Nui into a deep sleep... And now, he sought to either convert the current set of Kora to his means, or make sure they would never be able to reseal the barrier of the worlds.

This story, the story of the Kora Nata starts just before the barrier’s seal was breached. It starts with the Toa Hanu as they over saw the first two of the six Kora that were being reborn again…


	2. Toa Hanu

Nata, the Toa of fire sighed in relief when he saw the group of humans. Beside him his ice brother Taru chuckled.

“What are the odds, brother,” The ice Toa spoke up, keeping his arms crossed, “That our Kora charges would be related… again?”

“It is more like the Great Spirit’s sense of humor showing through.” Nata shock his head, though he was still amused at this development as the rest of his Toa siblings. Just like how they all thought it was funny that they called themselves the Toa Hanu.

‘Huna’ meaning a Kanohi mask of concealment. Yet none of the Toa had such a mask, despite all having the ability of camouflage that was so strong that only the Toa Hanu could truly see each other. Neither humans, nor Bionicle could see these Toa if they didn’t wish to be seen.

“Interesting mix this time,” Taru noted the family, that was really two, was sorting themselves out for their ‘camping trip.’ He inhaled and the ice Toa’s expression softened as he spotted his new charge and then let out a deep rumble.

Nata echoed the rumble, that was vaguely like a purr if one thought about it, as he too spotted the relatively tiny child. He loved all the Kora, not just his younger fire elements. Right now his own charge was nearing the time of rebirth, but not just yet. There were only two Kora, those of ice and stone in this set that had been reborn currently.

“Ronoko must be thrilled right now,” The fire Toa said after a moment of thought and he recalled that their stone brother had the chance to not only watch, but participate in the rebirth of his Kora.

“The others are still searching for hosts?” Taru asked, but wasn’t giving his complete paying attention to his brother as he couched down on the cliff the two were on, where they could over look much land.

Nata nodded, “Yes. Nanu is having some trouble even with the help of his mask power.”

“All air Kora give him trouble.” Taru said distractedly, starting to his right and the path down, “Do you think it’s too soon brother...?”

The fire Toa chuckled, fallowing after the ice spirit, “The two elders are here, I am sure you will hold your Kora brother.”

Taru gave another pleased rumble at that before both Toa brothers slid down and waited. Almost hovering but giving enough space for the humans until sun set when they could speak to the elders.

________________________________

“So this is where you got to!” A female voice called from with in the light given off from the teleportation system the Toa Hanu used. Scantly a moment later there was a thud as the blue Toa landed.

Nata turned, smiling, “Sister!”

He held his arms out and swept up the slender water Toa into his arms. Nata spun her around in good humor before setting her back down on her feet. The fire spirit had to stoop to be able press his mask to hers in the Bionicle equivalent of a light kiss to his younger water sister.

Toa Ania laughed in delight, not for the first time loving that Nata wasn’t completely like other fire Toa, most of them thrived on rivalry with water and ice elements. But not Nata. She scanned around the great underground cavern and spotted two other Tao. “Are those...?”

“Yes,” Nata smiled softly over at Taru and Ronoko. Or rather to two little Bionicle beings each were holding. No bigger then a Matoran child, the two young Kora were more streamline and had scant few armor parts at the moment.

“Two Kora already? So close to each other in age.” Ania said as she moved over to the snoring stone spirit.

Ronoko had made what could be called a bed that would only ever be comfortable to a Toa of stone, maybe an earth elemental. Feet propped up and leaning back in a reclined possession with his arms partly crossed, more supporting the young Kora on his chest. Surprisingly the Kora was sleeping soundly through the loud snores coming from Ronoko.

Ania smiled, kneeling down beside her brother. Bracing one hand on his shoulder and reaching over to the Kora. She stopped though before running careful finger tips over the Kora’s back as she saw the faint glow of elemental energy that Ronoko was giving. Patting her brother’s shoulder and leaving him to snore away like a minor rockslide she turned.

Taru was humming, sitting up right in the stone and wooden ‘chair’ that was made for him some centuries ago. His Kora was awake, but quietly watching and listening with the side of her head again the ice Toa’s chest to feel as much as hear his rumbling winter song. “Hello sister.” Taru said, lifting his free hand in a closed fist to lightly tap against Ania’s before lowing it back down to make sure the Kora didn’t fall off her spot in the crock of his arm.

Even this young and having been reborn not long ago the Kora looked familiar. It could just be the way she was limply sprawled.

“Where is Zaro?” The water Toa asked after sinking up to her chest into the main pool of their collective Suva/Kini. She swished around in the clear water, taking a moment or two to enjoy the feeling until settling down with arms crossed on the edge of the stone side of the pool.

Nata sat down with the flat of his feet pressed together, Bionicle were unable to cross their legs like humans could, “He is still out searching like Nanu.” The fire elemental said.

“That makes three of us that have not found hosts for the Kora to be reborn.” Ania said with an exasperated sigh and propped her chin up in one palm. “This batch is being exceedingly annoying”

“You will find the Kora of water sister,” Nata reassured conveniently.

“We always do.” Taru added, his smooth voice had a lyrical lilt to it. Standing the stark white Toa stooped to try and catch the Kora that was bee-lining to the water, “Come back here...”

“I knew I saw that one before,” Ania snapped her fingers and pointed, before reaching out to lift the ice Kora up not a moment too soon for the little being was about to fall in.

“Talra.” Taru rolled his eyes with an exasperated expression, this was going to be a long first few years and he knew it all to well. The stark white Toa knelt down to take his charge from his water sister.

Nata rumbled in amusement, shifting his gaze over to their Stone brother that snorted and shook his head, “Talra, Telem... two from the first set of Kora in the same batch.”

“What do you want to bet,” Ronoko yawned, “That the other four will be in this batch?”

“I drought that brother.”

“Just watch sister, just watch.”

__________________________________

“In coming!” A voice and a surge of wind preceded the vibrant green giant of a Toa. Nanu flipped head over heads twice and landed with far more grace and ease then someone his size should be able to. The biggest of the Toa Hanu by far, Nanu took a few long strides into the middle of the clearing that he and his siblings favored.

Holding out his arms the air Toa tipped forwards before body flopping down, now with absolutely no grace what so ever and landing hard enough to shake the ground. There were a few chuckles from the other Toa as the air spirit propped his head on crossed forearms a moment later and gave a sigh that was both relived and tired at the same time.

“Welcome back brother.” Ronoko said in his deep voice, reaching out with a foot to prod a patch of green armor. He quirked up an eye ridge at Taru, who shrugged.

“...took far too long.” Nanu said, words muffled, “Is tirehard work this go about round.”

“This will be the first time the air Kora is the youngest.” Zaro said from where he was stealing Taru’s favored seat. He watched as the two oldest and second largest Toa of fire and ice stood and helped Nanu back up to his feet and into the spot Nata had been sitting and leaning back against a rock the stone Toa had pulled out of the ground.

“Highgood greetings brothers, sister,” Nanu said belatedly taking a seat next to the pool and beside Taru. He beamed as Ania handed him a handless stone cup of the apple fruit juice he liked before sitting in his lap. “Ooo... Nanu thinks he is going to be rottenspoiled.”

“You have been searching these last few years air brother,” Nata said, kicking Zaro out of the stone and wooden seat with the easy of an elder brother picking on a younger one in good fun. “You deserve some attention.”

The earth Toa leapt up to his feet but being no bigger then Ania, thus barely coming up to Nata’s lower chest. The fire Toa was still a giant of a Toa even if Nanu was the biggest. With a clang of metal on metal Nata and Zaro where soon locked in an energetic wrestling match that was common with the Toa Hanu and rolling away before coming back.

Ronoko avoided the red and black ball of armor and occasional curse with the deftness of one too used to such things as he came over to offer his air brother some food. Light though, mostly assorted fruit and a little of the smoked fish Taru had been given as an offering. “How long are you staying brother?”

“Mmm...” Nanu mumbled something around a mouth full of peach and salmon, and not spilling on Ania as he tilted one hand side to side in a ‘so-so’ motion that the Toa Hanu had picked up from the humans. After several content mouthfuls and another cup of apple juice he spoke, “Ah, I am hardthinking only for few sort days before returning by teleport back to watch over our littlesmall airsisiter.”

Taru let out a sudden bark of laugher, having been watching Nata and Zaro wrestle and debating on if he should join in. Zaro had gotten a good kick in and Nata had to roll away, nursing his middle.

The earth Toa pounced on the fire spirit with a, “HAH!” Only to get a long red arm hocked around his neck and pinning the smaller black Zaro to Nata’s chest.

Taru was highly amused, as well as Nanu who fell over laughing and hugging the giggling Ania. Ronoko, as the apparently only sane member of his ‘family’ slapped a hand over his face.


	3. Water Spirits

It was the ringing stillness that woke him up. Denial, or ‘Deni’ as he liked to be called by family and friends, blinked at the sky far above him. For several long minutes he could think, just float on his back listening to under water sounds and wondering what had happened.

Slowly, he started to move, twitching arms and legs. Water sloshed up on Deni’s face as a result and that woke him up fully. He righted himself to tread water, feeling the line on his ankle that connected him to his surfboard. Deni paddled over so he could hang onto the board as he stopped kicking and looked around.

He was in a sheltered cove of sorts... no not a cove, a small lake. The water tasted fresh to boot. Deni kicked and pulled himself up onto the surfboard before flattening out on it and starting to paddle again with his hands and forearms back to the closest beach. He must have really knocked his head good in a wipeout... They boy froze as his surrenders sank in.

...What had happened?

Deni had been on his first vacation with his, admittedly, ‘hippy’ like family. Three to four weeks in Hawaii and staying with cozens with unlimited surfing and diving (both scuba and free diving). Granted the diving included doing surveys for the research center. ‘Hippy’ his parents may be like, but they were some of the best marine biologists.

But this... this lake looked nothing like the islands he been on for the last two weeks. It was tropical yes, but not really a rain forest. After some poking around and quick climb up a tree it proved that the surrounding area was more wet land. Deni counted four streams at least that were with in sight.

Yet what attracted his attention however was the sight of a towering dome like structure in the distance. Only able to see it thanks to the fact he was up in the highest branches of the tree. How Deni didn’t see it on the ground when it looked to be almost the size of a small mountain he had no idea. There looked to be several different kinds of vines (different colored leaves) clinging on the sides of the place known as the Kini Nui, although Deni didn’t know this tid-bit yet. What he did know was that this was most defiantly not Hawaii.

Deni scooted down the tree and sat down at the base of it, between two large root ridges, hiding him from sight mostly. Staring with wide eyes around him as it sank in that no only was he no where near home, bot also nothing looked familiar. From the texture of the tree’s bark and sand, to the types and colors of ferns, bushes and assorted plant life were also nothing like ‘normal.’ The boy, no older then thirteen at most by the looks of it, wrapped his arms around his knees as he had a good think to remember what had happened to him and how he had ended up where ever ‘here’ was.

The boy fiddled with a few shells that looked like they came from a clam. Deni vaguely remembered wiping out and being under water, unable to find out what was ‘up’ or ‘down...’ and then waking up in the water a bit ago. It wasn’t much to go on.

Deni looked up, frowning as he stood. Blinking he turned around a few times in a somewhat dazed, confused state.

After a moment he stated off. Heading just to the right of that big temple, being drawn that way with out really knowing he was doing so. For a while he walked, dragging his surfboard along with him until he needed it.

That was a lot sooner then expected, Deni could and did walk through the streams easily enough. When he came to the river it was also just as easy to sit on the surfboard and let the slow moving water to the bulk of the traveling work. It was heading in the right direction, where ever that may be but it was right and he was going that way.

It seemed like a very good idea that he was on the water, nearly in the middle of the river way. Because there were some, well, rather scary looking ‘monsters’ on the banks. Some looked like animals, only were massive and clad in armor... yet the creatures barely gave him a look as they drank and left.

Time seemed pointless, like it always did when on any kind of water. It drifted like the river at a slow, hypnotic pace. The boy craned his head back as he stared up into some trees, the filtered light through the leaves making all sorts of patterns on anything under them. Deni was leaning back as well until he fell with a thump on the surfboard. Cross eyed with a fever Deni dropped off into a fit full sleep.

The surfboard continued to float along with its passenger. At least until a blue and silver hand came out of the water, the board stopping when the end ran into the palm.

Something... big was in the water. The hand was much bigger that any human hand, though slim it was still several times larger then a grown man’s. The form in the water moved, rising up and out the giant, for that was what it, or rather what she was; stood in the river that barely came up to her armored chest. Aqua eyes flowed softly under a scuba-like mask. One of her hands lifted out of the water, the other holding the surfboard as she traced the side of Deni’s face and neck with a careful finger tip.

“What are you?” The blue and silver, biomechanical being asked, “And what are you doing in my Suva?”

Still with careful, well, care she picked the human boy up, holding him almost in the crock of one arm. Toa Gali turned and looked up, automatically covering Deni with a protective hand by relaxed as she saw the hunched form of a Turaga, Nokama.

The elder was staring, surprised and a little stunned as the Toa came over, dropping to her knees to be closer to Nokama’s level. “That... Is a Kora you are holding.”

Gali tilted her head, “A what?”


	4. Air Spirits

The air was clean, but not crisp. It had a mix of so many hundreds of smells, the air was warm and cool at the same time. It had moisture in it too. Not that Lee was much aware of that. She was too distracted at finding how far down the ground was, laying flat on her stomach she goggled after peeking over the edge of the floor.

That was a long way down! The tree this small temple was in, as well as the surrounding ones had to be at least sky scraper sized. She was hundreds of feet up, and there was still more tree up above.

Lee carefully edged away from the edge and as she did so a strong wind rolled through the temple. It was clearly visible by all the pollen, small flowers and leaves chasing each other in swirls on the floor then out the flat edge of the other side of the temple. The gust brought new smells of a healthy rainforest. New smells but at least it was right, it did smell like a rain forest, if not the one she’d lived by and in for the past few years, but still a rainforest. That was good, she new how to survive in a jungle.

The vivid sunlight dimmed and the girl, no older then twelve or thirteen, looked to the nearest open side. After it notability darkened again there was an unmistakable crack of thunder and, true to the term ‘rain forest,’ it started to rain. No, it started to poor.

At least that was familiar too. It rained in rainforests after all.

Lee looked up and waited for a half a minute to see if there were any leaks in this temple place. There were none and the girl was thankful for that. Getting wet wasn’t a high priority for her. Besides the humidity was already thick enough as it was.

With out much to do, and strangely not panicked over her situation, Lee sat down with her back to a pedestal that was the only thing really in this place. No that wasn’t true there were shelves up near the roof, a good seventeen or eighteen feet up. It looked like there were things up there but the girl couldn’t see from her angle.

This place was circular in shape, at least twenty five feet or so wide. The floor was one was an interesting mix of stone and wood, making so many patterns that crawled up the 'walls' that were little more then three supports that were two feet thick and four wide. Most of the chamber was wide open to the air and sights of the other skyscraper sized trees like this 'small' temple. It seemed really big, but in comparisons to others on the island it was considered small.

The pedestal in the middle was rounded, five feet high and made of stone. It had a flat square, also stone with an engraved emblem of some kind on both sides.

Lee shifted so she was laying down on her side, head resting on her arm. For a while, she just watched the rain and listened to the sound of it hitting not only the roof but the wide leaves that framed the ‘back’ and one side of the temple (yet were still out of reach).

Then strange... birds?

Yes, four winged and biomechanical bird like animals that almost looked like humming birds. Only this flock that winged past the temple and into another massive tree, were huge. Someone could easily put a saddle on them... wait. Was there a saddle on that one with seeming longer wings?

The girl scrambled up and then to the edge of the air temple again. Flattening out and gripping the edge she watched these strange, yet some how pretty ‘birds’ as they vanished into their chosen tree. Trilling calls were heard before them must have settled to wait out the storm.

The wind shifted, blowing some fat droplets of rain on Lee. The water was warm but she still squeaked in protest and scooted back. The roof extended beyond the edge of the floor so she didn’t get as wet if it was even. Standing and walking back to the middle, Lee inspected the pedestal.

“Hmm,” Lee made an interested sound as she found the square wasn’t fixed in place. A careful poke proved that it could move, and smoothly. Curiously the girl gripped one side and move it a few inches so the engraving fully faced her.

For a moment, Lee stared at the emblem. That strange feeling one got when they knew they’ve seen or heard something before settled on her.

Some faint memory nagged at her awake mind, but it was fuzzy and somewhat distorted. A different world and someone bigger then her but not her parents had reached down to lift her up. Voices of others speaking and another person that was hot like a fire.

“Nata...” Lee said, frowning, “Where have I heard that before?” she asked the stone plate in front of her, that emblem was still just so familiar. She rested her left hand on it, like the edge the middle wasn’t cold.

The inlayed carving glowed.

Yelping Lee bounced away, holding her hands against her as if expecting to be burned. But she wasn’t, and the emblem continued to glow a soft bottle green shade.

After a moment of nothing more happening, when nothing popped out of the floor or thin air and leapt at Lee to bit, poke or eat her, she relaxed. Just as Lee was reaching for the plate again she stopped and turned into a new wind.

It came from a completely new direction then before, bringing with it the smell of not only the rain but something else that was like over ripe fruit and clean, slightly cool are.

Lee closed her eyes, enjoying it before the smell linked to a memory of another mix of scents like this. “Nanu.” Lee said looking around, the name bringing a feeling of safety. But like before, Lee knew that she knew but it was just outside of her grasp.

Frustrated, she shifted her attention back to the pedestal. Putting her hand on it again had no reaction. It continued to glow no mater how many times she touched it, where or what was it was turned.

The more then loud thud of something landing on the rood made the girl freeze, eyes wide. But before she could hope it was just a fallen branch, she distantly heard a step. It was no normal human stride but long and had the sound of a great weight.

A giant swung down, holding on the end of the roof with one hand and reaching out to catch the end of a large foot on the edge of the floor. The other hand grasping one of the supports as the being pulled himself into the temple, his temple or Suva as it really called.

The Suva that had been so big was suddenly much, much smaller now that this being filled it up. He stood a good eighteen, maybe nineteen tall and was remarkably streamlined. His armor shined a vivid green, but looking like the metal was that color not painted. Under the armor was strange, it wasn’t skin but slightly. More like a hide almost that was colored light gray, yet it integrated with the armor and mechanical looking joints. Twin swords where clasp on his back and visible over his shoulders, easy to grab if the need arose.

Water dripped off him as multi-colored eyes that were white in the middle, sky blue ‘irises’ on a light green backdrop. Those eyes were glowing in the dim light and were scanning around before settling on a foot.

As if on a cue the bare, human foot was yanked out of sight where the owner was hiding behind the pedestal.

Toa Lewa got a very strange look on his mask that moved like a face, not rigid. “Who seekcalls Toa of air?” he asked as he couched down until he could balance his weight on all fours, leaning forwards and peering around the pedestal.

Lee looked up and screamed as she scrambled away.

Lewa yelped and scrambled back himself, startled. Not used to getting the reaction of fear from anyone smaller than him.


	5. Ice Spirits

Silence...

Deafening, crushing, all consuming silence!

She struggled, trying to move and dig herself out of...out of her tomb it seemed. For that was she was in: a tomb of crushing snow and ice.

The numbing silence was filled with a memory of that roar from the avalanche, and that terrifying moment when she realized that she couldn’t get away...Being beaten and spun around and around until finally blacking out. Now it was a fight for freedom.

A foot kicked out of the snow, and after much twisting, squirming and pretending to be a worm (it seemed to help her forget she had bones) before she was free.

Talra gave a rather un-lady-like grunt as she dropped, rolled a few feet and stopped thanks to something hard on the shoulder. “Ow.” She said as she pulled off her helmet for the coolness of the snow on her pounding headache and the need for the feeling of a deep breath.

“Ow...” Talra said against a few minutes later for a lack of anything else to say or do.

When it didn’t hurt as much to breath Talra slowly eased herself up right and then used a pile of snow to pull herself into something like a standing position. Blinked amber eyes the young woman took everything in, the textured landscape of the avalanche, her bruised maybe broken ribs that didn’t let her take a deep breath, a shear lack of any other living person. No sounds of the search and rescue helicopter she knew the resort had and dispatched since she worked for the search and rescue team.

Talra, despite some things, was never one to swear. She agreed with her grandfathers in that if you constantly swear then those words loose their harshness and sharp edges. Then when you really need it, the words meant nothing.

So, after taking stock of everything about her situation, Talra said a very bad word, or two.

Bending over to pick up her helmet and checking her boots proved not to be the best idea. She still had the ridged boots, but not the snowboard that had been attached. It must have been ripped away somewhere in the wall of snow and ice. That was okay though, better the getting a limb taken off instead.

Best to look on the bright side of things! Though no to close, Talra put her helmet back on, “GAH!” she pulled it off again and shook out the snow that got inside before putting it back on again to cut down on the glare from the snow as much to keep her head warmer. She flipped the visor down and eyed the small campus. It was moving yes, but it wasn’t moving right.

Talra reached up to tap the side of the helmet.

No change, the needle spun lazily around but that was it.

The young woman grumbled as she flipped the visor back up, turning around a few times to get her bearings. She didn’t recognize anything, but that wasn’t anything surprising since and avalanche happened and those tended to mix up the landscape something fierce. 

Talra had clawed her way free form the snow in a dip of two large drifts. All she could see beyond the drifts was the mutation. That was as good of a reference point as any. Now considering where she had been before and were base camp was… It meant that lodge would be that way.

Talra turned to her left and started a limping, somewhat slow walk, trying not to breathe too deeply.

“Oh come on!” She wasn’t afraid to whine (after everything that happened she did have the right to whine a little bit!) as she spotted a looming storm head in the sky. Every instinct screamed ‘blizzard!!’ and Talra was inclined to agree with those instincts. So she limped a little faster, keeping an eye out for some shelter. “Screw- oh-” what was said next was spoken in another language and would translate to something like: “By the spirits-no way!”

Talra just managed not to go over the edge of a rather sneaky cliff face. But it was the clear, beautiful landscape that had gotten the vocal reaction, not the cliff itself.

“Toto,” She said slowly to the helmet she’d taken off for a better look. Talra really didn’t have a god to announce this to so the helmet would have to do, “We ain’t in Alaska no more.”

After a few moments had past, or minutes it was hard to really because time decided to warp, slowing or speeding up...it was hard to tell. It was the snowflakes that snapped her out of the dazed. Talra quirked up an eyebrow as she shook out the flakes that got into her helmet and put it back on again, snuggling it down.

No search and rescue helicopter. Talra grumbled again as she realized that she had just wasted time. She may have to dig into a drift if there were not other options.

Talra snapped out of another zoned out stare. She looked around at her unfamiliar, new surroundings before pulling the helmet back off again and dropped it. Carefully she felt around her head and in the short cropped hair without gloves, having stuffed them in pockets. Did she have a concussion? After what happened it was more then likely. Her head hurt one way or another.

“I donna feel good…” she said squinting. That when she saw it, almost missing the large structure that was haft buried in drifts of snow (what happened to the avalanche landscape?) that mostly hid the place. It seemed as good as any place to go.

Oh look, Talra though in a detached manor, I’m falling.

Fainting was more like it to tell the truth, but she didn’t know that. Actually, to be honest Talra was out like a light before hitting the ground. Well, she would have hit the ground if a, very, large hand hadn’t been put between her and gravity.

Kopaka wrapped in fingers around the smaller ‘human,’ lifting the discussed Kora up onto his arms. He tilted his head, shifting the focus of his optic for a better look. “So, the Kora of ice...last to arrive.” He turned partly and looked down and to the east a bit at the small avalanche that had drawn him here to check the structural integrity of his Suva.

The Toa’s attention shifted to the forming storm on the side of the mountain. Kopaka took a deep breath and let out a high, piercing whistle as he extended his free hand. The command was obeyed as the storm fizzled out and dispelled, thus making life easier to get back to the Koro.


	6. Fire Spirits

“Running, running, run away!”

Tahu jerked awake, disturbing the young Ta-Matoran that had migrated to sleep against him as they always did when the fire sprite was sitting or resting inside the village. Tahu caught the Matoran child that had been his chest before he sat up.

He looked around in time to see the Kora of fire run past, a Kolii stick in hand and being pursued by one Chronicler. The lesion of the game proper had long since dissolved as the two now were playing something like tag and keep-away in one.

The elder spirit of fire quirked up and eye ridge as he watched the two run by his feet, Storm, his Kora, had the ball in her Kolii stick and was fleeing. Takua was in hot permute, waving his own stick over his head and the two vanished out of sight for the Toa. Out of Tahu’s sight but a ta-Matoran guard across him apparently had a clear view of what was going on with the accompanying yells for he had a strange look on his masked face, winced and then smiled.

When the two ran by again five minutes later Takua had the ball and Storm was chasing him. Tahu rolled his glowing eyes before going back to sleep, he had a hard few days beating back wild Rahi from getting too close to the village, knowing his Kora was well in the hands of the Ta-Koro Guard that was hovering and fallowing the two.

“Not fair Takua!” the Kora yelled as they ran by again, and then as she passed the line of Tahu’s feet stumbled. Faltering the younger elemental doubled over coughing, gasping in an attempted to breath again.

Instantly the Chronicler was back, dropping his Kolii stick and the ball, “Kora! Kapura, help me.” He added to the Matoran that hurried over.

“M’em fine.” Storm wheezed, thumping her chest with a closed fist. It seemed to work as she managed to suck in a full breath, yet despite her vocal protest didn’t, or couldn’t fight off the much taller Kapura easily picked up the human formed Kora up and carried her over to the Chronicler’s ‘hut’ (a small library was more like it!). “This is somewhat embarrassing.” She muttered.

Kapura smiled down at the Kora as he ducked into Takua’s home and set Storm down on his friend’s bed. “Are you alright Kora?” he asked, Kapura’s voice was oddly soft, almost not fitting his body since the second in command of the Ta-Koro Guard was as big, if not a little taller then Jaller. Both were above average height for a Ta-Matoran as it was, so Kapura was quite tall and broad in the shoulders for a Matoran.

“I’m fine,” Storm insisted but saw the looks on Takua and Kapura that clearly said they didn’t believe her any which way.

“Uh-huh.” Takua climbed up on a shelf, pulling down a storage gourd that was like a jar, and then grabbed a handless cup, “It is not the Turaga’s tea.” The Chronicler assured seeing to worried look of the young fire elemental. “Still good for you, a friend of mine in Le-Koro makes it for me.”

“What’s that like?” Storm asked now leaning up against Kapura, who was sitting beside her, as if she hadn’t been protesting she was fine twenty seconds ago.

“Le-Koro?”

“Yeah, what were you doing there?”

“Story collecting.” The tall guard said with a small smile at his friend.

“Can you tell me some?” Storm asked, unknowingly putting herself and Kapura in danger as Takua perked up at her words.

“Oh, I could tell you dozens!” The Chronicler said and he promptly launched into one as he made enough of the tea for all three.

An hour later the Captain of the Ta-Koro Guard poked his head into his best friend’s library like home. He found the Kora asleep with her head on Kapura’s leg and Takua was talking. The Chronicler hadn’t taken any offence at the napping Kora, in fact he was the one assuring Kapura that Turaga Vakama said that that was going to happen a lot. The Kora were still healing and growing so he didn’t mind. It only took a little to encouragement from Kapura to get the shorter Ta-Matoran going again in his stories.

Smiling in that Bionicle way, Jaller slipped in and sat down to listen to his friend. For all of those little annoyances of Takua’s sometimes, the Matoran really did know how to tell a good story! The Chronicler didn’t quiet have that same captivating magic in his words that all the Turaga had (but then again the Turaga must have been telling stories and histories for far longer then any Matoran on the island), but he was still really good.

And what Matoran didn’t like a good story? More so when it was about one of their Toa heroes!

At the sound of drums, distance drums, everyone paused to hear the first set that announced where the message came from. Ko-Koro as the case was now.

Jaller got up and peeked out the open door, Takua hovering behind him and Kapura was starting to disentangle himself from the Kora. All three knew all the message codes and had pounded out most of those with their own hands as well.

“What is it?” Kapura ask, having missed the start.

“Ko-Koro says that Kopaka just found the last Kora.” Takua said crowding against the bigger Jaller’s side, half going under his best friend’s arm to hear more clearly.

“That makes six,” Jaller said, nodding, “Just like the Turaga said.”

Behind the three Ta-Matoran Storm smiled a little, still tired and her body wanting to finish her nap. The young fire elemental blinked as a section of the drum message. For a brief moment, she was some where else, not in Ta-Koro, or Ta-Wahi, or even back home in Alaska.

It was warm like the sun, but the light was more of a blue-white then the normal yellow tinge. There was no sky or horizon, but walls of earth and stone that rose as high as a skyscraper in the middle, sloping down lower at the very edges. The air was warm and clean, cleaner then what would be expected for being under ground. There were trees too, a stream that twined around the large chamber and somewhere a flute like sound playing out a rhythm.

Someone massive was walking beside her, leading yet keeping long, ground eating strides considerably shorter for her sake. Glowing eyes of light orange on red, like and unlike Tahu’s white on red looked down at the child. Do not fear my little fire sister, this is your true home. A voice, faint in memory but still there, said.

A Toa of fire that hadn’t been Tahu. Storm needed to see Turaga Vakama, yet a name stuck with her, something she knew meant safety.

Nata...


	7. Earth Spirits

“I can walk you know.” A soft female voice said in the darkness. 

There was a rumble like and unlike a bear and a much deeper, rough male voice said, “Would you rather walk on your own here sister?”

There was a pause.

“No.” The soft voice was more tiny, nervousness tingling the edge of it. A moment or a minute later, time flowed different underground, there was a squeak of protest. The steady steps that should have been heavy and thudding but were strangely whisper quiet finally stopped after what seemed like a good hour, “Onua?” a pause, “...brother?”

“Shh,” Onua rumbled again as he knelt down, well able to see in little light. Like the Onu-Matoran the Toa of earth also had an acute hearing and all the other senses were heightened. It was one of the reasons he didn’t like bright lights since he was more sensitive to it.

Right now the biggest and oldest of the Toa Nuva eased down into a crouch, lifting a hand to hold it over his Kora as a shield against what ever had caught his attention in the darkness. He felt Kara shift slightly in the crook of his right arm before she heard it to.

The soft scraping of metal claws on stone.

A faint but still audible growl.

With barely a sound Onua reached back over his shoulder and his hand dipped into his deep space pocket and pulled out his drill. At the same time moving out of his kneeling position to a crouch, altering his center of balance enough so he could move in any direction.

What ever Rahi creature was out there paused, it was close enough that the Toa could make out the outline but thankfully not so close he could see details. A wedged shaped head turned to him and bright yellow optic like eyes opened, casting and eerie glow over the Toa’s armor and mask. A lower jaw dropped before splitting down the middle, a single killing fang unfolded from each half of the lower jaw before a hissing sound came out of the Rahi that turned into a growl.

Onua’s own softly glowing gaze brightened and he stood, pushing Kara over his shoulder in the same movement. A deep, vibrating growl came out of the Toa as his other drill dropped into his free hand from deepspace.

Apparently the black and grey giant was just too big or too scary for the Rahi’s lower jaw clicked closed and it backed up. The yellow glow faded before the eyes closed as well and in the new dark there were sounds of the thing moving off.

Onua sighed and relaxed once he was sure the Rahi predator was gone, “That was close.” He made a mental note to come back and track that predator as soon as he saw his Kora safe in the village. “Are you alright sister?”

“I’m fine Onua,” Kara said from where she was doing a marvelous impression of a starved leach on the Toa’s back, minus blood sucking that is. She was between the equivalent of Onua’s shoulder blades, under the level of his neck, and oddly seemed to know where to brace her hands and feet with out catching them in his armor.

“Hang on, we’re getting back to the newer tunnels.” Onua warned as he started off, lengthening his already long stride from that leisurely walking pace of before into a truly ground eating one. This was how he could cover distances without actually running. The Toa was mildly surprised the younger elemental could hang on so well. But then this was far from the first time she was more hitching a ride rather then being carried, although Onua had glimpsed the girl on the shoulders of a Matoran once or twice.

“Are we going back Onua?” Kara asked as their direction clicked in her mental map of where they have been. 

With in no time at all there were star like speckles from bioluminescent plant shuts at the bases of the walls. They had an aqua glow to them and with a few more long strides of the Toa was in a tunnel with painted on allege that glowed a much brighter shade then the plants and were in a decorative pattern.

“Yes little one.” Onua said and turned his head to peer over his shoulder but Kara was out of his line of sight. The Toa slowed but before he could stop the Kora had already climbed down and hopped off. Onua knelt down, reached out to brush his fingers down the girl’s side.

Kara, small by human standers was virtually tiny in comparison to the black guardian spirit. She, like the other Kora on the island had gray skin, a darker shade not unlike Storm but that comparison wouldn’t be until later. A long ago she had longer hair but it had been cut short for a few years now. Kara was bare foot and wore black slacks and a purple long sleeve shirt that was hidden under a grey hoodie. Once dark brown eyes were fading to a gold hue now as her skin thickened with each passing day.

“I will bring you to my Kini after I have taken care of that Rahi.” Onua promised, “Right now though let us get you back to Turaga Whenua.”

The Kora smiled, having already formed an attachment to the elder. It helped that the girl had been and still was interested in any book/data pad as well as history before finding herself on the island of Mata Nui. That was one of the things that had gotten her into the Onu-Koro’s Turaga’s good graces, that and she hid from Onua behind Whenua many times to start with, thus triggering the Toa instincts he still had (though only six beings on the island knew of those instincts, Whenua included).

“Come sister.” Onua said as he stood, motioning his Kora to fallow him.

“I’m coming!” Kara said as she trotted after, keeping up with the earth giant’s longer stride. Her keen eyes taking in the details of the wall including many of the carved in messages the Matoran wrote for each other.

The Matoran written and spoken langue, as well as sub dialects up to and including those of the Toa, had actually been programmed into the Kora according to the Turaga. Kara herself had puzzled over that before deciding she really didn’t want to know how she was ‘programmed.’ She just excepted the fact she could read what was written and strangely it took a bit of concentration to speak English or the other two human languages Kara knew.

Something, a phrase really caught the girl’s attention at a tunnel junction.

Onua was ten passes ahead when he glanced down and there was no Kora. Spinning a round with more speed then something near thirty feet and several tons should be able to do, the Toa tensed...and relaxed. “Kara what...?”

“Zaro!” The Kora pointed at something on the wall before turning her wide eyes to Onua, “I remember! Zaro! He was another Toa of earth!”


	8. Stone Spirits

“Telem! Look-”

Whack!

“-out...” Pohatu finished his warning. The Toa of stone sighed as he put his hand over his masked face, clawed finger tips clicking as he dragged his hand down before stepping over two Matoran and then over to where his Kora was now sprawled out on the ground. The somewhat hunched stone giant leaned down with hands on his knees, quirking up an eye ridge quizzically, “Sister?”

“...Ow.” Telem said from under the tree branch that had fallen on her.

Pohatu gave a Bionicle smile as he lifted the branch, and with more ease then he had a right to pitched it off the trail before carefully grasping the Kora under her arms with one hand and lifting her back up to her feet, “Are you okay little stone sister?”

“I’m okay!” The Kora announced, staggered a moment before getting her balance back. With the kind of determinacy that said she was perhaps responsible on part for that what just went wrong and didn’t want to show it, Telem grabbed her Kolii ball, made of wood just for her by a Po-Matoran just after she was first introduced to the game. She marched off as if nothing happened.

The Toa chuckled watching for a moment before glancing over at Turaga Onewa and shrugging. Telem tripped and face planted at that exact same time.

As the closest Matoran yelped Pohatu slapped his hand over his mask again. Once he waded into the thick of things, and after Turaga Onewa inspected the Kora for damage from the tree branch of a few minutes ago, the Toa grasped his younger sister by the back of her ‘shirt’. It was a very flimsy armor thing that did no good other then blocking good sunlight in his opinion, but Telem was attached to it and didn’t want to take it off. Anyways, it made a good handle to lift the Kora up and over Pohatu’s shoulder.

“I think you should just ride for a while sister.” Pohatu chuckled, “We do not want you to keel over before we even make it to the Kini Nui.” The Toa grinned as he heard soft grumbles from behind him as the Kora settled down in that spot between his shoulders and below the neck, the same place the Matoran like to cling to.

Pohatu wondered why that was as he shortened his stride once more to stay even with the group, Turaga Onewa in the lead. Oh sure he could Mask-of-Speed to the Kini Nui but then he’d miss out on the interesting little things, as well as listening to the latest Matoran news he hadn’t lately been able to hear. Running after a Kora that wanted to know what everything was and who everyone was, was surprisingly time consuming.

More so after Telem started to show a liking to things that could very well be fatal in her currant organic body in all like.

Programming.

Pohatu shook his head, Turaga Onewa had said it was perfectly normal for a Kora to act like this. More so that Telem’s health was now improving, recovering in leaps and bounds from the Makuta’s sickness, if she wasn’t over it already.

But really, did his Kora sister have to annoy Rahi bigger then her? …And him? True it was nothing Pohatu couldn’t handle, yet as a general rule of the sane you don’t toss rocks at something with teeth and/or killing bigger than your arm! 

The Toa of stone reached up to rub the back of his neck, the wish to be properly up right never entered his head. He had evidently been built, made, whatever, with this hunch and was perfectly adapted to it, he could look all his siblings in the eyes. Well, except Onua but he was abnormally tall even for a Toa according to the Turaga and without his hunch Pohatu would be just the same. He was technically, having the same mass and weight as his earth brother.

The weight on Pohatu’s back shifted, Telem climbed up until she could prop her forearms on his right shoulder, feet braced on unmoving armor to save her toes. “Pohatu?”

“Hmm?” The Toa reached up, the backs of two claws brushed against the Kora.

“Where are we going again?”

Pohatu laughed, he couldn’t help it, “The Kini Nui, to meet with the others.” He nodded to the Po-Koro’s elder, “The Turaga, the other Toa and all Kora.”

“I thought you said not all the Kora were here.” Telem frowned and waved her hands, meaning the island of Mata Nui. She had the grab back onto the moving Bionicle being. The Kora pushed herself up and after a moment she was sitting on the Toa’s shoulder, legs hanging down and she thumped the heels against his upper chest.

“According to Turaga Onewa the Kora of Ice was found an eight-day ago.” Pohatu said, reaching up again to make sure his stone-sister wouldn’t fall off.

Telem made a face, doing some rapid math. Days on Mata Nui were longer then on Earth, being basically 36 hours from sun up to the next sun up. The Bionicle equivalent of a week was eight days not seven. So that would make it… 288 hours, thus 12 days.

Why hadn’t she heard about this like with the news of the other Kora?

No wait, she did remember something, but she’d been in the middle of learning a Kolii move from a Matoran at the time, something that involved much falling on her back and rump but that was beside the point. Other then she still couldn’t do a flip like that… yet.

“Pohatu?”

“Hmm?”

“Do you think, um...”

The Toa patted the Kora’s side, “I’m sure the others will like you as much as I do.” Pohatu assured, smiling as his stone-sister started muttering that that wasn’t what she was going to ask and oh never mind. Yet he felt some of the tension in the younger elemental spirit on his shoulder ease. After a minute of walking he felt Telem lean over and rest her against the side of his, Pohatu smiled, guessing she’d picked up on the Bionicle equivalent of a ‘kiss’ where two would tap mask to mask. She didn’t have a mask, but it still counted, and this was her way of saying thanks for the reassurance.


	9. Senior Spirits

“Katava! Cetan!” Toa Nata had to pretty much bellow for the two far to adventurous Kora to hear him on the other is off the massive Toa-Chamber, “Get down from there right now!”

“Mata Nui!” Ania came up beside her fire-brother, a younger air Kora in her arms. Danni twisted to give the two older Kora a baffled look and said in time with the Toa of water, “How did they get up there?”

“Do not even think about it!” Nata yelled again, taking a step forward.

The sun bleached blond ‘human’ peeked over the ledge he and the darker skinned Katava had climbed up to. The two boys were already starting to show the change back into their true Bionicle forms, but still mostly were in their human disguise. The most noticeable change at the moment was that their skin had turned to shades of gray, the young fire spirit was darker than the air spirit.

“You sure about this Cetan?” Katava frowned, peeking other the edge as well. The oldest of the Kora here spotted Nata and Ronoko, the Toa of stone, marching over.

“I’m an air elemental ain’t I?” Cetan shifted, balancing on his finger tips and the balls of his bare feet. He was in a simple tan shirt that was slightly too big for him and a pair of green shorts that had to have a belt to stay on. Cetan, for all his height like Katava he was considerable leaner in build.

“If you’re going to do this you better hurry,” Katava commented he was just as lanky in the legs and arms as Cetan thanks to their continuing growth spurts. Although Katava looked like he was 18 to 19 years old, he was really only twelve, thus why he said to hurry up rather than stop, “Zaro’s heading over here too.”

Kora program was playing a part as well.

Not giving himself any more time to think about the Kora of air took two steeps and pushed himself off the ledge, more than one voice yelled out in protest as he did so. Open air... For a moment Cetan was reminded of that first time (in this life) he had been in the clouds with the Toa of air. Cetan could feel the air all around him, almost see it, and it curled around him and through him. Reaching out he thrust out his hands, channeling his power, the air around him to under him...

There was a brief blast...er, gust of wind.

“Uh-oh.” Cetan yelled as he slow fall rapidly speed up.

There was a sound like a controlled exploitation, but an exploitation none the less. The air presser in the chamber changed rapidly fallowed by a true blast of wind that pulled the yelping Kora upwards and then into the grasp of a smirking Nanu. “Little airbrother needs to be careful.” He said as the giant of the Toa Hanu touched down alarmingly softly on the ground.

“No fair!” Cetan complained having seen what the elder air spirit just did.

“Nanu!”

Nanu looked up and shifting his hold so Cetan was held in his left hand and reached out to catch the laughing Katava as the fire Kora jumped at him.

“Rah!” Zaro threw up his arms, “Mata Nui, why do Kora have to be so...nuts?”

“Thank the Great Spirit that it doesn’t last.” Ania said putting Danni down.

“Yes but we have three sets of Kora in one generation.” Nata knelt down as his brother set the two trouble makers down, “Katava, Cetan...”

The boys shifted and braced themselves.

Zaro chuckled as he stooped to pick up Danni and let her scramble back around onto his back as he walked away with Nanu. If Nata couldn’t give the best guilt trip than he knew Ania could. “Any word about Talra’s set?” He asked looking over at Nanu, paused to roll his eyes as the elder air spirit held his hands out to his younger Kora.

“Sorryno brother.” Nanu shook his head after indulging in a cuddle.

“Where were you?” Danni asked and scrambled up onto her brother’s shoulder with one hand on the side of his mask.

“Searching for our lost Korasiblings.” Nanu said reaching up to pat the girl on the side.

“The portal ways that were used most likely to send them back to our world.” Heads turned at the voice.

“Taru?”

“Icebrother?”

The Toa of ice stepped out from one of the side chambers that Ronoko and Zaro had dug out centuries ago as personal rooms for each Toa. There were others here and there for the Kora as well, but they tended to migrate to the nearest Toa and conk out on them instead.

Taru glanced down at Koka, the only non missing Kora of ice that had been reborn, there was a third coming very soon. “I have searched the mountain that Talra favored.” He said looking back to his brother, “And I found a portal that didn’t lead here.” He pointed down at the ground between his feet. The ice elemental paused to flag his other broths and sister Toa over, “Nata, it’s starting. The barrier between out world and this one has weakened enough that Talra’s set I think, are over there.”

“Metru Nui?” Ronoko asked, he paused and looked down at Katava, “All the Kora are starting the change at the same time, that means Telem and the others will do so as well, but without us...”

“Talra and Telem are two of the oldest Kora, from the very first set.” Nata assured resting a hand on his stone brother’s shoulder, “I have faith they will know what to do.”


	10. A changing spirit

“Not good, not good, not fragging good!” Talra, or rather Tala as she was being called lately, yelled as she dodge the claws of a big...big, big, big Rahi-thingy-mah-bobber. Scrambling in the snow the human formed Kora yelped as her footing gave way, unexpectedly saving her as she slid back the way she just came and between the legs of the now startled Rahi. Even as she thought ‘what do I do?!’ reflexes Tala didn’t know she had kicked in and she rolled backwards, avoided the lashing tail and half jumping, half running she took off to the lake.

The iced over lake that is, it was also away from the small group of Matoran...who had said that the iced over lake had thin ice. Tala was betting (praying) that with her being lighter than the Rahi-thingy-mah-bobber (oh! Muaka!) would mean that she could go farther out.

The thing that was huge, four legged and definitely feline like in body shape, like that of a big cat such as a tiger or cougar. Only thing was that this creature wasn’t made of flesh and blood like a tiger or cougar, at least not that could be easily be seen. A type of metal half made up and half covered the beast, including two sizable tusk like fangs and some smaller but still relatively large (and sharp!) teeth.

It was also an apparently hungry Muaka.

“Dat’s it! Over here! GEYEAH! ...missed me!” It probably wasn’t the best of idea to taunt something that outweighed you by a ton or two, but taunting the Muaka kept its attention on Tala and not the group of five Matoran. “Dat’s it, fallow me-ah! Claws! This was such a bad idea-what the hell am I doin’?!”

The oldest of the Kora on the island dodged low and scrambled onto the frozen lake, hearing growling and the all too clear sound of something snapping of jaws behind her. The Muaka braced its hind legs and lunged forward, but luck was with the Kora. Well...if it was good luck or bad luck Tala was exactly sure seeing as she slipped on the thin layer of snow on the ice, thus forcing her to fall into the splits.

“Ow.” Tala muttered, feeling tears of pain form at the corners of her eyes. This wasn’t the first time she had done the splits, but it had been around two months, give or take. So it hurt, just a little, and Tala didn’t quite move right as she tried to scramble away again.

The Muaka slipped awkwardly itself, one foot sinking through the ice but only to its claws, the resulting broken ice let Tala get the toe hold with her left foot and pushed off. She hopped awkwardly and then had as much traction as she was going to get. Tala had to skid and slide to stop once she thought she was out far enough, using instinct of someone who had went ice fishing all her life with her grandfathers. It would, hopefully, hold her weight. The Muaka growled softly as it slowly became aware of what it was standing on. Yet it could clearly see Tala walking out backwards farther out onto the lack making a ‘come on’ motion with both hands.

“Dat’s it, come on ya big kitty-kitty... I know ya can see me. See? No armor, ya know ya want it...” Tala said, voice taking a more lyrical lilt not really cooing as if to a house cat. She just wanted to distract it. The large Rahi lowered its head in response, still growling as it started after the Kora one careful step at a time. Fallowing and watching intently, unlike Tala it’s claws were giving it better traction, and it knew this fact.

Every other step backwards one of Tala’s feet would slid a half inch or inch, her own eyes just as fixed on the Muaka. So she saw the tensing and yelping skated to the left, ducking low under far too large.

A clear and recognizable crack was heard behind the Kora at the same time she saw movement to her far right, white on white down the slope that led to the lake. No time to think about that seeing as the ice was failing under her feet!

“This was such a bad idea!” Tala yelled, feeling the ice start to give under her feet as her hurried plain not only succeeded but backfired at the same time. Acting on those same instincts from before as well as those that had been guiding Tala all her life, the Kora ducked low again and lunged forward onto her stomach spreading out her arms and legs to spread out her weight instead of letting it be centered in one spot. It was an old trick that her grandfathers’ own many, many (many) great grandfathers had learned from the polar bears.

After a long, quiet few moments Tala cracked open an eye and then both, warily looking around and shuffling forward, still sliding forward on her front. Once confident of what was under her she rolled over onto her back and looked back to see a jagged opening with sloshing water and mix-matched chucks of ice.

Tala sighed, but at the same her relief fizzled into regret. Did the Muaka need to breath? The Matoran did and they were just as biomechanical as most of all the Rahi. Remembering the movement she saw Tala twisted around propping up on her elbows.

Kopaka was just stopping by the Matoran. Wait, where did he come from? When the Toa’s gaze, a red optic and glowing blue and aqua eye, turned to her Tala gave a half smile before looking away back to the opening in the ice. Better safe than sorry, she flattened out and started to shuffle back to the shore.

There was an explosion of sorts, everything happed so fast that sound warped or delayed or something because to wasn’t right. The bright world, with the sun reflecting off of the snow was abruptly gone, replaced with biting, mind numbing pain that was so cold it burned.

The ice gave out!

But...but...how?

It sung like a wasp ten times over, all over, but Tala opened her eyes to see the Muaka clawing at the edges of the hole. 

Despite hearing both her own voice of reason and the memory of her grandfather’s voice repeating the words don’t panic- don’t panic- do not panic…!

Tala panicked, for the first time in several years she truly panicked. An overwhelming fear were her heart seemed to contract in on itself and a tingling sensation spread throughout her body as Tala jerk. An uncontrolled blast of ice energy came from the young elemental as a result of the panic attack, freezing the Muaka with its upper body half out of the water as the elder spirit of ice slid onto the scene.

Deftly avoiding the thrashing Rahi, Kopaka stared a moment at the sealed over hole, not as pretty as before but it had a layer of solid ice now, thicker than before. The Toa was as surprised at this as much as the ice wasn’t clear, but only for a moment. His Kanohi Akaku Nuva, the great mask of power that let him see through things like an portably x-ray, the mask started to glow giving it a faint aqua shade as it was activated with a mental command.

“Oh no,” Kopaka was already moving as he spoke, hocking his wide shield on his back at the same time dropping down on his knees. He broke his weapon into two, slamming one blade as deep into the ice as his strength would let him.

By Mata Nui’s witness, Kopaka had never lost a charge. Not to crazed shadow-driven Rahi, predators, avalanche, blizzard, Bohrok, and certainly not now to his own element. Not to a mere arm’s length of ice and water! That inward declaration didn’t stop the Toa from seeing the human formed Kora stop moving as he worked to both absorb the ice as well as brake it away.

The scary thing, or one of them technically, for Tala wasn’t so much the dim light underwater that illuminated disturbed crystalline ice formations. It wasn’t the cold for that matter, it had by now numbed any feeling away. What was both the scariest thing and not, was that it was so...calm. A world of interact ice crystals hanging from above, the only sounds were the dulling double thumps of a human heart and the sharper cracks from above.

Tala had been here before, not in this lake on the Bionicle island... but back home. A long time ago when she was still just a kid, Tala remembered that time and it over lapped what she was seeing now. That was what made the Kora stop moving as she struggled with the lack of oxygen, she was trying to divide past from present To think straight.

Taru had saved her all those years ago, he broke through the ice. No the ice was braking now- wait, what the…?

The human formed Kora’s heart stopped as a long white arm reached down, clawed fingers wrapping around the younger elemental. Kopaka pulled up, holding Tala with one arm against him and his blades joined over one shoulder he back up away from the new hole, and he stood from his half sprawl only when he was sure it was safe by reinforcing the ice.

“Tala?” Kopaka asked looking down at a cough.

“Oy…put me down.” Tala choked out after coughing again, more than a little worried that she had to spit out water. When there was no vocal answer, not too surprising Tala found much to her annoyance that Kopaka was far from the talkative kind of persons, she twisted and almost bit a muscle cored. “Kopaka!”

A low growl came from within the Toa’s chest as he knelt down, the Matoran group already coming over, whatever was about to be said was put on a back burner as Kopaka saw what was wrong. He kept one hand around the Kora, feeling that he was being a support, “Your skin...”

It was gray, not tanned.

But that wasn’t what had Tala’s attention, and the attention of the Matoran. Matoro stepped forward and reached out to touch something that Tala was. The translator looked up at Kopaka and turned the Kora around so the Toa could see the heart light that was pulsing in a steady, tri-pulse ‘heartbeat’ rhythm.

“Cool…” Tala muttered staring at her new addition.


	11. A Spirit That Learns

Matau’s home was half dug into the great tree and half build out of it like a cabin. Most of the structures of Le-Koro was like this though there was some that stood alone or connected clusters of tree houses in the branches. There were winding boardwalks all over, connecting everything. Below were safety nets, many of them scattered in different levels and under most of all the bridges.

There were some cables, looking more like braided cords, in a few stations. They were connected to elevators of sorts that dropped down to the roots of these massive trees for those not so adept at scampering up bark and/or branches. Namely, visitors from the other villages of the island. There was one elevator that lifted higher up to another large structure that was both elaborate and simple at the same time.

If asked what that structure was, the asker would be informed with much amusement that it was Lewa’s Kini. The temple of air where the Le-Matoran honored their guardian spirit, the element he represented as well as the Great Spirit. Lewa apparently had a smaller Suva as well that could be considered his home, but in all honestly the Toa of air rested just anywhere that was comfortable, not just in the Suva.

Although Lewa did keep some small treasures and offerings he favored at his Suva.

But, back to the home of Le-Koro’s Turaga. It had several wide open windows to let the breeze in one side and out another. The inside proved to be more then big enough for several humans or Matoran (or Turaga as the case was sometimes) with some space over head. Yet no Toa would ever fit inside, maybe one of the smaller Kora once they were fully ‘grown.’

The ‘hut’ also proved to be quite full, so to say, with the walls that had carvings in them as well painting of so many different things. There were also hand carving of the same things and more that were made of wood and stone. Some of those carving were a hybrid of both, as well as metal tools that gleamed in the dawn sunlight that crept in.

On one of the windowsills were charging light stones from the night before- Bionicle may have better eyes than humans, but Matau was a Turaga no matter how much he protested his age. Almost no space was wasted in his home, or left bare, even the ceiling! That had an assortment of weapons that were fixed up there. Those were referred to as ‘Toa Tools’ rather than weapons as they looked like. 

Matau without his staff had an almost hopping, sideways gate as he walked around. Starting his far from set morning routine, no fire was made since even in the golden tinged light of the early morning it was already warmer than the night. It was going to be a hot day as it was in other words. He went over to poked his head out of the main door, a hide flap curled up like on the windows to, to look around at the village that was as alive in the day light as it was in the night.

Just like any other of the villages.

The Bionicle, the Matoran, didn't follow a day and night sleep schedule like on Earth, the full 'day' (sunrise to the next sunrise) was about 36 hours not 24. So, the Matoran worked and played until they were tired and then slept until they weren't tire. It was just that simple, like many true facts in life.

The aged Turaga hopped over to the cot he had put in to his hunt and rested his hand on the shoulder of the Kora that had been sleeping most of her rest periods here. Not that Matau minded it, it let him keep an eye on her, and there had not been a glimpse of the Makuta shadow sickness since that first tense eight-day.

Lee stirred at the touch, lifted her head to blink bleary eyes at the Turaga who was grinning in his way, eyes squinting in a cretin way at the edges. The Kora hid her head under the light blanket that was used more for keeping bugs away than to keep warm.

Matau chuckled, “Come little Korasister, it is a goodfine morning.”

“Mrphet?”

The Turaga shook his head, years of interpreting sleepy Matoran let him understand the mumbled worlds without a mask of translation, “Nooo, it is time to rise.” He nudged the Kora enough to annoy and wake her up, but not to harm, “Toahero Lewa is to teach you of your element today.”

Although there was that chance Toa Lewa was asleep as well in his Suva or out somewhere in the jungle. The spirit of air had been in the village for nearly three days, awake the whole time. Toa could go much longer than Matoran without the need for sleep, Matau knew this fact all too well. Today was the day that the Kora was to learn more of the element she shared with the elder Toa, even if Matau had to go up to the Suva to poke Lewa in the head with his staff until the guardian woke up.

That was surprisingly affective.

Matau had learned of that trick from Vakama actually, and later one found it also worked on Pohatu.

Right now though, the Turaga was herding the wavering Kora out of his hut with shooing motions and into the capable care of one of the Le-Koro pilots. “Thank you Kernchild.”

“Kern?” Lee echoed the name, perking up some as she actually looked around for her first and thus far best friend in this world.

“Here Korasister,” The pilot reached out, not just tolerating the affectionate hug he received in lue of a ‘good morning,’ but wrapped his arms around the young Kora and spun her around.

Turaga Matau leaded against the door frame of his home and watched as the children left to hunt down a morning meal, and probably Kern giving in to give Lee another ride on the Matoran’s Gakko stead. Most of all Matoran were children to his eyes now thanks to what he had become for a time, and his age.

_____________________________________

If there was one nice thing about being small, it was you could get free back rides!

It helped immensely when the Matoran you’re clinging to was the big brother type. Lee hugged Kern’s neck from behind in silent thanks for said ride, ear pressed against a neck cable that pulsed with the tri-rhythm of the Bionicle ‘heart beat.’

She had always been affectionate all her life, even before coming back to her native world. As the youngest of the Kora, Lee had the clearest memories of the Toa Hanu, the guardians that stood on the other side of the seal that kept the words apart. So Lee remembered Nanu, and the others, Lee had told Matau about them and Lewa who was very interested in hearing about other Toa.

Right now though, Lee was dozing lightly in the morning sun as she got a free ride, “Kren?”

“Yes Korasister?” The pilot asked, trying his best to look at the human formed Kora. Unable to see her, the Matoran just reached up and playfully pulled Lee over his should and in a moment had the giggling girl cradled in his arms. She was no bigger than an average Ga-Matoran like this, so she was no burden to someone who had to wrestle with Gacko birds almost every day, “There!”

“Are we going to see your Maki?” Lee asked, for the moment content to stay where she was as she looked around.

“Not this time,” Kren reminded, jerking his chin up in one quick movement to indicate the temple of air just above the tree bound village, “Toahero Lewa is waiting up in the Kini, Korasister.” He grinned at the ‘oh right’ expression on the Kora.

Lee twisted in the Matoran’s grip and landed lightly on her bare feet once she was let go. Now fully awake the young Kora gave Kern a cheeky grin before taking off in a run down the boardwalk. In an instant the pilot was after her, like any Le-Matoran Kren was not only fast on his feet but just as quick to any game. Races were one of the tall Matoran’s favorite games, grated even with the Kora’s own enhanced speed he would easily beat her, but this was just for fun.

The tree-house village had as many ladders made of vines as there were boardwalks and bridges. Le-Koro had many safety nets for anyone who lost their balance, if there was any attackers a quick jump to the nets and slid to the truck of the one or the other two trees, to where carved in escape tunnels were hidden. After the Bohrok and Ramma, there was many hidden ways to get to safety if the Village was compromised. The safety nets also had a double use for the heart stopping spot of net diving.

There weren’t ladders at the top of the village to the, relatively, small air Kini. The two had to climb up a webbing of vines that wasn’t a proper netting in any shape. Just vines hanging down to climbing up the bark. As long as one only gripped the vines against the bark you were sure to have a good hand and foot holds.

The section of the tree Lee and Kren were on suddenly vibrated, the vines shuttering under hands as at the same time a large shadow encompassed both. Heads craned back to look up into the bright eyes and grinning, masked face of the Toa of air. “Toa!” two voices said in unison.

Lewa shifted his twin swords, flipping and locked them onto his forearms, he moved so he was no longer in the landing half glomp of the tree. The claws on his right hand dug in deep, bracing with his feet he grasped first Kren in his now free hand, lifting the Matoran up to the Kini and than his Kora sister. “Highgood greetings little ones.” Lewa said as he pulled himself up, half in with feet now braced in new spots, his arms folded over the open edge of the Kini. “Korasister ready to quick-quicklean?”

“Yes brother!” Lee nodded, all but bouncing on the balls of her feet, unconcerned about breakfast since there were fruits and other edible planets all over this supersized rainforest. She paused, “Can Kren come?”

The Toa tilted his head at his Matoran charge, and when he saw the nod from Kren, he would like to come as well, Lewa held out a hand, palm up in welcome. A moment later Kren was climbing up over the guardian’s shoulder to that spot between the shoulders, where the Matoran normally liked to stay since they could both brace their feet and grasp the back of the Toa’s collar ridge to hang on. “Come sister, time to windfly on your own.”

Lee paused even as she was picked up, “Wait, on my—eeee! Lewa wait!”

Too late.

The Kora was already in the open air, on her own. One thing air spirits all have in common when learning the art of gliding and then true flight was a simple thing: heights. It was needed for the longer the fall the more time you had to call on the element all around them. Lee had one advantage over the other Kora on the island. She thrust her hands out in front of her aiming down, as the youngest, with the clearest memories she remembered what she had already learned from Toa Nanu.

Lewa was right there, laughing softly even though he knew it was a bit mean what he’d done, but the fastest way to tap into the elemental energy of air was a freefall. He didn’t remember much before waking and rebuilding himself on the island of Mata Nui, but he did remember his own first and critical fall that sparked his control of the very air.

The day was very interesting to say the least.


	12. A spirit that thrives

There was some things that hardly surprised Turaga Whenua, such as the annual explosion that came almost exactly the same time every eight-day ‘week’ from Nuparu’s work shop. Or the times when he had to sidestep or jump backwards, using his staff to keep his aid or the young Onu-Matoran from being ran over by a trundle or crab race. Those were just some of the odd things that had become familiar, routine and even ‘normal’ in a twisted way in the underground village over the years.

Seeing Takua the Chronicler riding into Onu-Koro on his Rahi mount; or as the case was this time the Ta-Matoran was bouncing ahead of his crab into the village of earth. In that kind of barely contained energy he had whenever he was let loose on the island by Vakama the first time in a long time. Whenua personally though his fire brother just politely kicked the Chronicler out whenever he started to get annoyed with consent pestering for more stories. He knew Onewa did, and Nuju did too.

Yes, seeing Takua randomly show up was no big surprise, especially with the arrival of the Kora. What was a little surprising was that it took thing long before the Chronicler to show up, yet that wasn’t what was the most shocking thing that happened with the Ta-Matoran’s entrance this time.

Takua had taken all of five bounces into the massive, main cavern that made up Onu-Koro when a large glowing ball was introduced to his head. The Matoran gave a strangled squawk/squeak like sound as he toppled over backwards.

“Mata Nui! The rouge Khi-ball just hit someone-It’s the Chronicler! Quick!” An announcer’s heightened voice sounded a bit louder than normal to Takua as he stared up at the darkness, filled with thousands of glittering crystals that were made to make the ‘sky’ pretty. “Is he okay?”

“...ow...” Takua muttered going cross-eyed, aware of Pewku scuttling around him in a worried cercal, as well as several sets of thumping feet. Including one set that even in Takua’s dazed state knew by the sheer weight behind the ground shaking sound was the Toa of earth.

“Chronicler?” a deep, rumbling voice asked, “Shoo Pewku, out of my way. Where- ah, here.”

“Oooowww…” Takua complained as he was lifted up and clung onto the armor just to his right and squinted around before jerking as he realized he didn’t have his mask on.

“Here little one,” Onua said after shaking most of the glowing stuff off the blue Kanohi Pakari, it would glow in the dark for a few weeks but that was okay. The glowing substance was harmless to Bionicle. The earth giant gently fitted the Kanohi back onto Takua’s face, grinning down at him. “Are you alright Chronicler?”

Takua made a face, now sure of where he was and he let go to adjusted his mask just right again, “That hurt.” He muttered, his good mode of two minutes before half fizzled up.

“It was a good throw,” The Toa said as he set the Ta-Matoran down, hand hovering close to catch him just in case Takua didn’t have his balance. He watched the Ta-Matoran shake his head and motioned for his Rahi, and she shuffled back over.

Pewku dipped her front down, so the edge of her broad shell was easy to get over, even helping push her master up onto her back. The Rahi gave a soft sound as Takua plotted down, still looking a bit dazed. “Why am I glowing? Why are you glowing Toa Onua? ...in three colors...?” Yep, as Takua took a better look and the normally black and dark grey giant was near covered in splotches of glow in the dark liquid of blue, green and pink.

“There is a Khi game going on Chronicler.” Turaga Whenua said as he came up to them, waving the crowding Matoran away, but it wasn’t needed for they were already making room for the elder. Not seeming to notice his left side was blue and green and the top of his mask was pink, Whenua patted the Rahi-crab’s head in then silent command to lay down. Takua scooted closer to let the elder inspect his mask, head and neck cables for damage.

“Is the Chronicler okay?”

“We did not hurt him did we?”

“I am so sorry Takua! I was trying to hit Kima, not you!”

“...Takua you look like a Le-Matoran with your Kanohi bright green!” That was Nuparu as he let out a laugh, only after assuring himself his friend was alright.

“Hush Nuparu,” A new voice that Takua never heard before said. For one thing it was female, and there weren’t many Ga-Matoran in Onu-Koro right now, and the voice lacked that slight mechanical sound. Nuparu was pushed aside and a he lifted a pink and blue arm to let a slender figure duck under and in front of him.

The Turaga lifted an eye ridge as he watched the short Ta-Matoran perk up upon spotting his village’s Kora, even though she was as covered in glow in dark substance as everyone seemed to be. Only with her being, or seemingly to be fully organic the Kora seemed a bit more soaked, her long hair (streaked with all three colors) knotted into a hasty bun yet plastered down and the t-shirt and short-shorts all tie-died blue and green with few flecks of pick.

Kara was barefoot, not that she’d had much of a choice in the matter but she wasn’t sure if any foot ware would protect one form a clumsy Matoran. Under the ‘paint’ she was as grey skinned as Takua’s native fire Kora as he would find out a bit later. Blue and green eyes- proper colored Bionicle eyes with blue ring and a green backdrop and centers.

“I do believe our dear Chronicle is just fine,” Turaga Whenua pronounced, patting Takua’s knee, “Just not jumping around for the rest of the night, and,” The elder looked around at his glow in the dark people, grinning Matoran, baffled Rahi, amused elder elemental spirit and slightly baffled younger spirit. Whenua waved at one and all, “I do believe it is time to retire for us all.”

There was a collective, “Awwww…!” form the crowd in protest.

“I do however,” Whenua continued, peering up at the now smirking Onua next, and the mass of Matoran quieted to hear his words that seemed to hinged on whatever this ‘Khi’ was, “I do see quite a bit more... blue all around.”

Takua blinked as a third of the Onu-Matoran erupted into cheers, waving glowing blue spheres over their heads or throwing them up into the air to splatter more of the blue ‘paint’ on everyone. He turned his red and orange eyes to Nuparu, but his was slapping a pink colored hand to his mask, leaving a blight cheery print there. Actually, now that Takua took a good look around as the crowd dispersed he saw that he could sort out the ‘teams’ by the colors on someone’s hands. Like Nuparu’s hands were covered in pink like the Kora. Onua seemed to be a free for all target for all, as well as using whatever colored ball he could get.

“Come on Takua,” Nuparu was saying as he climbed up on Pewku’s back, pausing to give her eye ridges a good scratch, “You can stay with me.”

“What about...?” Takua turned on his Rahi’s shell to look back at the Kora, watching her ring out her hair and laugh at something said by another Onu-Matoran.

“Oh, you will meet Kara in a bit, she always comes by my workshop in the evenings.” Nuparu waved a hand, splattering droplets of pick around Pewku’s shell along with the other two colors dripping off his armor. “Besides, she’s staying in Toa Onua’s Kini.”

“Really? Hey, what just happened?” The Chronicler pointed at his bright green mask and upper body, “What is this ‘Khi?’”

“Khi is a game that Kima, Gori and I came up with a while ago!” Nuparu puffed up as much as in pride at his contribution to the hit game, as well that he had evidently spent a lot of time with the two Ga-Matoran.

Takua lifted an eye ridge as he looked up at his taller friend, it was pretty easy for his friends to be taller than him really. The Chronicler was as tall as the average Ga- and Ko-Matoran. Takua took aim and poked Nuparu’s side, making him deflate in a wheeze of air, “The point of the game? Is it like Kolii?”

“Not really,” The inventor rubbed at his side, “The goal is to spatter the other teams with your team’s color, not to score goals.” Nuparu saw the interest in his friend and grinned as he hopped off Pewku since they had arrived at his large home and workshop, “When this stuff wares off you have to come back Takua! You can be my second!”

“I thought I was your second Nuparu.” The two Matoran turned and looked up at the tie-died Kora who was smiling softly up at the inventor, and that was when Takua realized that Kara was his height. 

“You were my second,” Nuparu said without hesitation, “But you promised to be the wild target with Onua next time so I need another second.” He draped an arm over Takua’s shoulders, sharing more paint, “Oh! Kora, this is Takua the Chronicler. Takua, this is Kora Kara.”

“Its and honor to meet you Kora,” Takua bowed, then made a humming sound that was the Bionicle equivalent of a blush as Kara bowed back.

“I hope I can hear some of your stories Chronicler,” Kara said, she had a soft voice normally but she was still breathing hard from the game that just got over, “I have to go, this stuff is starting to set in.” Kara ruefully lifted a clump of her hair that was the same bright green as Takua’s mask and now loose. “Good night Chronicler, Nuparu.”

“Um...good night?” Takaua muttered watching the Kora run off after the massive- and glowing!- form of the Toa.

Kara reached up and, hoping the paint wouldn’t make it too difficult, grabbed onto Onua’s armored leg and pulled herself up. She deftly climbed up until she was sitting behind Onua’s neck, arms folded over his Kanohi, “You my brother, are a walking fashion disaster.”

The Toa chuckled, the sound felt as much as herd by the Kora, “Oh?” He asked, reaching up a little out of reflex, he was aware of Kara flicking the thickening paint off the top of his mask as it finally started to dry.

“Pink is not you color.” Kara said after a moment of thought, “Not at all.”

“That did not stop you little earth sister, from throwing it at me.” Onua pointed out.

“No,” Kara agreed, “It didn’t, but you dropped all that blue on me and Kima.” She paused, looking around, “Where are we going? This isn’t the way to the Kini.”

“We are going to take a bath, then go rest.” Onua said, heading to one of the underground rivers his villagers had long sensed learned to use. He knew the ‘paint’ wouldn’t harm the echo system since it was made from bioluminescent moss and algae found in and near water in the first place. If anything it would just make the slow moving river brighter, which was a good thing since it would be the bottom of the river that glowed.

“Onua?”

“Yes sister?” Onua glanced up out of habit even though he couldn’t see his Kora where she was.

“Turaga Whenua said we’ll be going to the Kini Nui in not too long of a time right?” Kara asked as she stifled a yawn, internally grumbling (unknowingly just like all the other Kora had or will) about the longer ‘days’ on the island of Mata Nui.

“Yes, we will be.” Onua reached up to get his Kora off, smiling at some of the Matoran that had the same idea as he and were already splashing around and turning the water different colors. Kara scrambled over one of his shoulders and paused before jumping in, eyeing her semi long hair before looking back up into the elder elemental’s bright eyes.

“...are we still going to be glowing in the dark by then?”Kara asked warily.

The Toa laughed, “I think we will little sister. Just reminded me to splatter Tahu and I will be fine.”


	13. A spirit that wanders

Takua was happy, to put it lightly. Currently his masked face was tilted up so that he could get a sunbeam in full. The general, uneasy wariness that always gripped the Chronicler after a prolonged trip to Onu-Wahi and the Koro itself all melted and drained away. 

Sunlight, or any light but mostly the light of the sun always made Takua feel better. Not just from a trip into Onu-Wahi but the light improved his mood as well...not that was in need of improving much right this instant. Takua was still grinning like an insane le-Matoran that just learned he was immune to gravity for a minute.

The reason for the beaming, happy out of his mask Chronicler was that on leaving Onu-Koro after his five day stay (that included some good healthy investigating, running around screaming in another glow in the dark paint ball match, and time spent with Toa and Kora of earth) he had gotten an unexpected kiss from Kara. He could still feel how she’d pressed her head to his mask and was once again humming in blush.

It wasn’t often one got a kiss from a Toa, and only then Gali and Lewa- sometimes Pohatu- were pretty much the only ones to give open displays of affection. According to the Turaga, mostly Whenua who was more than happy to lecture on the subject and explained that Kora (or ‘Koa’ as what they were originally called but the term became ‘Kora’ to fizzle out some confusion) were a lesser Toa. Thus the whole ‘younger elemental’ thing.

But Takua wasn’t thinking much about this at the moment, for Kora and Toa were one and the same as his thoughts primarily circled around ‘I got a kiss…!’ Takua loved being the Chronicler, he really did.

Soon the Ta-Matoran’s mount slowed as the crab came to a cross roads camp. The scattered trees framing an area that wasn’t quite a clearing as in a bare path of earth surrounded by trees in the cliché imagery. This place was where a party could camp on the way between the villages and be safe. There were trees around on this slight hill yes, but replanted so that those from the inside ring of the low wall that surrounded the camp site could get a clear view of what was around. The trees were also replanted in a way that would provide a fast escape viva the branches above.

The sky was a rich vibrant blue, the day was warm yet there was a cool, constant wind coming from one direction or another. There was a dark smug to the far south that was an active volcano or two, Takua knew by memory and sense of fire elemental energy that was repent in Ta-Wahi. Other than that, there were a few wisps of clouds to the northwest, towards Po-Wahi.

Takua rapped Pewku’s shell in the ‘stop’ command. Shacking fully out of the daze from before, he stood up and looked at the four clear paths around him. One path, going south lead back to Ta-Koro, and Takua wasn’t ready to go home. The northwest one was Po-Koro, and though it was temping…west was the winding path that would follow the boarder of Le- and Ko-Wahi before going up to the village of ice.

After all of 20.4 seconds, the Chronicler was urging his mount to the village of water with a grin on his face. The near drowning from insisted swimming lessons would so be worth the attention of the Ga-Matoran.

Water was a large part of this region, wetlands, lakes, streams and rivers wove and poked through the land. But then that’s why it was called a wet land, the water region. Trees though tall (standing between one and four stories) weren’t nearly the sky-scraper sized things in Le-Wahi yet had many brightly colored flowers. Plump, juicy fruit swayed and dangled from most all branches in this season, and Takua stopped a few times to climb up and get some for both himself and for his Rahi.

Bushes and shrubs of all kinds littered the ground, some had flowers themselves and others had ripe (as well as not so ripe) green, red and blue colored berries. Despite all that there somehow were still safe, and dry, places to travel. The twisting and crossing paths were confusing to anyone that didn’t know where to go. Thankfully the Chronicler had been to Ga-Wahi, as well as all the other Wahis as many if not more times then the Toa.

Takua knew where he was going in other words.

It also helped that the two major structures the stood above the trees and land, one towering over the other by three times or more. The Kini Nui and Ga-Kini, the temple of Mata Nui and the smaller temple honoring both the element of water as well as the living elemental Gali. Both temples weren’t exactly similar in design, the Ga-Kini not as grand but just as old. This was where Takua was heading, from there he could get to the Koro and still be (mostly) dry.

If there was one thing about Ga-Koro that totally set the village apart from every other Koro was that there were no signs of habitations at first glance, of by the fifth glance until suddenly you were at the village gates. The ‘huts’ were so well hidden from sight. The village proper was also well protected behind thick walls of tree logs, natural cliffs, over hangs, all equally camouflaged as the huts, boats and storage areas.

Takua, munching hurriedly on the rest of his purple pare shaped fruit, looked up at the high gates. A shiver worked its way down his person as he saw the scars in the wood from Bohrok attacks, the deeper gorges had been well patched and reinforced, some logs had been shipped around the island from Le-Wahi to replace some whole chunks. The day’s light would all but blind…well it would have blinded even a Toa looking at the top of the gates, yet Takua had no problem seeing the blue masked faces peering down at him.

“Hiiii!” Takua yelled, hopping up on Pewku and waving his arms, “May the Chronicler come into the Koro?” he added, of course modifying the traditional call of ‘So-and-so approaches!’ with a name or title.

“Takua!” no less than five female voices called back down. “Get up to the platform, we’ll open the gates!” another added.

The Chronicler urged Pewku up to higher ridge of stone to a platform that would be around hip height to Toa Gali. Only once Takua called out again that he and Pewku were safe did the massive gates to Ga-Koro opened. One ‘door’ swung inward while the other one came outward.

Water surged out like a flash flood before the inner swinging door blocked the on flow. It was a cleaver defense really, only those inside the walls could control the door that blocked or let the river free flow. No one trying to pry open the gates on the outside would be able to withstand the on slot of H2O before being quite literally washed away.

After it was a safe, the excess water flowing out the spillover stream, a bridge was lifted up and Pewku scuttled across with all do hast, giving a soft trill like sound that could be a sigh as they were safely inside the village.

Takua hopped off and bounced over to hug the nearest Ga-Matoran that came to greet the Chronicler, “Hahli! You’re on your feet again!”


	14. A spirit that moves

“Wow.” Jala stared down there at the lava flow from his position up on the outer, main defensive wall of Ta-Koro. Or rather, he was watching the large figure surfing on the lava as well as the smaller figure clinging to the Toa’s back screaming as loud as she could about something that included amputation.

“I didn’t know anyone could hit that pitch.” Takua’s voice said before the Chronicler ducked under taller Jala’s arm for a better look at what was happening, sometimes he disliked being one of if not the shortest Ta-Matoran.

“Being female may help in that regard Takua.” Kapura commented, standing behind the other two, having come up to the Caption with the Chronicler just a moment ago. The black and dark red Matoran was well able to look over their heads, and just about any other Matoran’s head, to watch as well. Kapura shifted, bracing himself and smiling as he let Takua climb up his side and perched up on his shoulders.

All three Ta-Matoran watched their Toa introduce their Kora to more than just the concept of lava surfing. Every minute or so one, or all, would wince as the caught a (rude) word or two that they could understand, most of what Storm was yelling (screaming) was in one of her two native languages. The Kora was doing a wonderful impression of a boi-leach on Tahu’s head and shoulders according to Takua’s opinion and experience, the only one of the three to spend a lot of time in the Ga and Le Wahi zones.

“Is this Kora Storm’s first time lava surfing?” The Chronicler asked after a while tilting his blue Kanohi, he had gotten back from his trip to Le- Onu- and Ga-Koro.

“Yep.” Jala attempted to repressed a smiled as he remembered the scene not twenty minutes before. Of the Toa ‘convincing’ the younger fire spirit to come with him. Mostly it had been Tahu picking Storm up, half tossing his Kora on his back- the spot she and the Matoran on a whole favored for free rides. Before Storm could ask where they were going, Tahu had jumped up to and then off the other side of the Ta-Koro outer wall.

Since then, Storm had been making full use of her knowledge of three different languages, plus a Toa sub-dialects that was programmed in and recently popped up. Including some things she’d learned from Tahu himself as he took his fire-sister on a tour of first the lava fiends and then later planned to go through his favorite, half underground lava tubes and passages.

“I believe you all,” Turaga Vakama’s voice drew the attention of the line of Ta-Koro Guards (and one wanderer) that had been watching the show and all turned to look at their elder. Nine masked faces had the same expression that said something like ‘I’ve just been caught with my hand in the sweet berry bowl!’

Once he was sure he had the Matoran’s attention, if a bit shocked, the Turaga made a sound not unlike one clearing their throat, “Have things to do rather than stand there leaving the gates unguarded.” He finished.

There was a predictable scramble as the nine Ta-Matoran suddenly remembered all at once they had things to do. No one could give a scolding like Turaga Vakama could without sounding like it at first. The elder’s orange on red eyes narrowed at the edges in that way that said he was smiling as he waved at Takua over, wanting to hear of his earth brother and what the Chronicler had to say about the other Kora he met on his journey to the other villages.

Before fallowing Vakama turned partly to watch his people’s living elemental spirits, their guardians and protections. Vakama’s eyes widen at the argument and yelled words that were flung back and forth between the Toa and Kora of fire. The elder face-palmed and sighed before hobbling off to the Chronicler’s home, listening to him as Takua excitedly told of how he met three other Kora.

Elsewhere the local Toa smiled to himself at the tone of his younger sister, then frowned as he sensed something he really didn’t want to deal with right now. The volcano under and around them, the thing that ate up the rock only to rebirth it as the semi-liquid lava flows and raining ash was churning its insides deep within the heart of the great volcano. Tahu glanced over his shoulder as the first signs of one of the larger lava waves started to show, an over flow from deep below.

“Hang on sister!” The elemental warned as he shifted his stance on the joined swords that doubled as Tahu lava-bored.

“I AM!” Storm paused, no longer on Tahu’s head but still hanging onto his shoulders, “Why?” she asked eyeing the back of the Toa’s head.

“We’re going to have a flood and go off the falls.” Tahu replayed in oddly calm, and matter of fact tone. Unusual for the Toa who’s tones were filled with passion in one form or another. Like his inner fires always changing in intensity with his moods.

“Oh.” The Kora blinked a few times, half sliding into that position on the Toa’s back that seemed to have Matoran sized hold build into the armor. She dared to peek around the red colored bulk that was Tahu after a moment and saw the ‘falls’ that he was talking about. “Ohmygod! No! Ta-HUUU!” Storm re-glomped her brother with all the force of a Onu-Matoran as they were launched into the air once more. She squeaked as she belatedly sensed what the elder of the two fire spirits already did, building and rolling behind them like so many charging Rahi.

Magma and molten rock gushed out of the tunnel they just fled and added to what was already falling.

“Badday! Badday! Badday!” Somewhere in the back of her mind, Storm noted that she must have spent too much time with her cosine and best friend, she was picking up on some of the things she would say.

“Storm, stay on my back!” The Toa said flipping to get his swords in both hands before doping into a free fall to let his sister scramble to readjusted her grip on the dark grey and red armor. Everything narrowed down to the here and now. Tahu was focused only on what he was doing, no other thought outside this pocket in time and space, gathering energy to activate his Kanohi Hau Nuva, the grate mask of shielding, as soon as he attached his person to the nearest wall of rock with his twin swords.

The younger Kora looked up after Tahu had slid to a stop, and watched in a horrified fascination as the glowing molten rock bursting from the tunnel in a spectacle display of nature’s wrath, the metaphorical pulsing blood of the Mangai volcano. The lava lit up the dim underground magma ‘cross road’ area they were in, one of several.

Time seemed to slow as the magma ark down in the air and made its way to where Toa and Kora where. It was so completely beautiful in a raw, terrifying sort of way. Storm could feel the heat, the liquid fire above and in her. She was sure Tahu did too as he seemed to grow, becoming larger and more powerful as part of his element came plummeting at them like a runaway bullet-train. It was like he was absorbing it all to be added to his already powerful, inner inferno.

With a near start the younger fire spirit realized that that was what was happing, and not just to Tahu but to the Kora herself as well, only on a smaller scale since she was obviously not a Nuva. Storm could feel herself getting stronger in the blazing heat that would have already killed a true human several times over, and the after affects of the Makuta’s sickness was fading away.

Then time realized that it should go back to its normal pace, and the lava streaked towards the two. Just when it seemed that they were in essence and maybe literally going to be toast, Tahu activated his mask’s power.

Tahu wasn’t the only one to relish in the feeling of his element surging past him on all sides. His smiled when he heard Storm yell in a triumph behind him, no fear was in her voice this time as she shook with adrenaline.

It was a full five minutes later when Tahu dropped down on a carved path way used for those who had to hike back up to the Koro after lava-surfing. He turned as he felt the Kora shift, let go and dropped down, Tahu arched up an eye ridge as he spotted the glow of Storm’s now reviled heart-light, as well as the change in color of her skin. A proper dark gray in Tahu’s opinion instead of that odd pinkish shade.

“You. Are. Horrid.” Storm said after staring into Tahu’s tri-colored gaze, unaware of the changes that happened as well as those she and the other Kora were about to explode into.

Tahu smirked as he crossed his arms, “Thank you.”


	15. A spirit that is alert

“Holy-” The Kora of stone said a very bad word in a Toa sub dialect that, thankfully, the Matoran didn’t know. They could guess since Turaga Onewa had said the same thing several times over the years, a few even herd Tahu bark it out once or twice.

Currently she was bouncing on one foot, muttering under her breath until she caught sight of three other humans... no, Kora. The three were across a clearing from where Telem had stubbed her bare toes, on Hewkii metal foot, and in one of the many bodies of water of this Wahi. They were evidently having the time of their lives as well as being in a full fledged water fight. It was pointless fun, and by the time Telem got nearer with her group a few Ga-Matoran and a male Matoran with a blue Kanohi but red coloration in the body had leapt in the hip-high stream and the water fight had become more of a water war.

Watching over the enthusiastic splashing was the keen copper and yellow gaze of a being Telem knew at once was another Toa. She wasn’t nearly as tall or as big in mass than Pohatu, but still taller than the Matoran and Kora, and had a different kind of grace to her slender frame. The Toa of water, for that who Telem was guessing she was not just by the blue and silver armor but the matching descriptions from the Kora’s stone brother as well as the Matoran.

Telem’s gaze shifted away from the water-war as she spotted movement from the corner of her eye. Turning the young stone elemental smiled as she recognized the brown skinned Kora that she was only a few months older than, “Storm!”

The twenty year old (going be the looks and ‘age’ of the human disguise) looked up from her intended target, just managing to hide the clear water ball in her hand, before Tahu turned around. Storm was crouched on a ledge of the Great Temple’s side, and when she saw Telem, the fire elemental’s grin widen, altering from ‘I’m going to get into so much trouble!’ to ‘I know you!’

“Rocky!”

Splat!

“Oy!”

Pohatu and Tahu both gave an impressive synchronized snort, the two elder spirits watching as the two oldest Kora basically moved to tackle each other. Storm sliding down the curved wall of the Kini Nui and Telem hopping over, at the same time the other three Kora were wading over to great Telem as well. It had been a while side coming to Mata Nui and a tad longer since they had seen each other.

The Toa moved too, Pohatu thumped his closed fist against Tahu’s, “Brother!” The stone Toa laughed, “It’s been too long. And you own me a game.”

Tahu chuckled, “That I do brother.” He agreed, clapping Pohatu’s arm before stepping back a little.

“Don’t think I forgot about those widgets either.”

“Frag it.”

Gali rolled her multi-colored eyes at her bothers before the water elemental was enveloped into a powerful hug. She smiled and wrapped her arms around Pohatu’s middle as much as she could, the taller Toa’s permanently hunched form added to the ‘I’ll protect you’ feeling of his hug. Gali had long since accepted that her two oldest brother Toa would almost always embrace her if they could, it just seemed engrained into Pohatu and Onua. Not that she minded, besides technically Gali was the second youngest of the Nuva.

“It’s good to see you as well Ga-gi.” Pohatu said, putting Gali back down on her feet, “But you’re as bad about visiting as Tahu and Kopaka!” The stone giant paused, doing a head count on Kora and Turaga, “Hmm... mentioning that, where are...?”

“Onua is in the Kini resting,” Tahu said as he motioned to his left and slightly behind, “And our Le-tu is hunting at the moment for an evening meal.” Mostly the food would be for the Matoran, elders and the younger elementals, who were still growling back into their true Bionicle bodies. And thus like any ‘teenager’ were near bottomless pits. Tahu shook his head at that thought, he had been hunting himself almost twice as much as before and guessed it was the same with his brothers.

“Kopaka, Turaga Nuju and their group have yet to arrive.” Gali added as she walked to one side, she had hold of a red and tan hand to get the other two Toa to move out of the way of the knee-high Matoran that rushed passed in a Kholii like game.

Tahu gave another snort, “Surprising since he is the one who insists on always being ‘on time.’”

“Many things can happen on a trip of any length brother.” The waiter spirit chastised with a small frown.

“Besides,” Pohatu smirked as he flopped gracelessly onto the ground, making a small tremor that got a few yelps. He gave the nearer Ga-Matoran an apologetic look as he continued, “I heard from some of the traders in Po-Koro that Ko-tu has both hands full with our new Kora of ice.”

Tahu shook his head, shifting his stance to keep facing the other two as Gali folded her legs under her and sit in the sun beside Pohatu. The fire elemental crossed his arms over his chest, under his orange shaded heartlight, “All the Kora are going to be-” The red a brown male didn’t get to finish he prediction as a water ball impacted the back of his head, Tahu making a surprised sound that was partly a grunt. 

Behind him was a scramble and more than a few giggles from Matoran and Kora alike.

There was a beat paused before several things happened at once.

Pohatu burst out laughing, a few Turaga doing so as well. Gali lifted a hand as if trying not to burst into giggles herself like several of her villagers were- but honestly the look and Tahu face...!

The fire Toa let his internal temp rise, spiking a moment to let the water evaporate. He spun around with a growl, and then let out a mock roar after the fleeing Ta- Le- and Po- Kora. Tahu loped off after the guilty younger spirits and Matoran, grinning. However neither he nor the other Toa saw the sharp looks and sudden alertness that came from the Turaga as they watched the chaise begin.

Vakama had to take a deep calming breath along with Matau and Onewa, easing the grip on his staff. The red elder exchanged looks with his brothers, silently confirming with the other Turaga that they too had seen that flash of ‘killing fangs’ that all Bionicle had. Though for most, mainly the Matoran, those hits of what the Bionicle evolved from stayed small and folded up on the roof of the mouth. Useless to a point for the modern Matoran.

But in this moment, for the elders see that blatant reminder that Toa did have sizeable fangs- and in turn found use for them, but more as a last ditch effort. However, the combination of fangs and that roar, Tahu unknowingly hitting that ‘right’ tone to make a pure sound that was a throwback to his Hordika ancestors.

It brought to mind more than a few memories to the six elders of the island. Not all of those scenes of the past times were the best of things to see re-playing in one’s mind’s eye.

Turaga Whenua shifted in his spot, sitting in the shade cast from the Kini Nui. He was tilting his head and using his tongue to feel what was left of his own broken fangs. The elder sighed and shook his head, turning his attention to watching the Kora evade the bigger Tahu. For him at least, listening to the joy of the present peace lulled away the pain of his past.

“Only one element remains,” Nokama spoke, to break any self created spells.

“Yes,” Vakama nodded, “Nuju should be here soon, if not in the temple already knowing him.”

“Would be like him.” Onewa gave a snort as he along with Vakama helped Matau with his bad hip to stand up again.

Whenua chuckled softly as he walked beside Nokama, his shoulder just brushing hers to help him find his way in the glare of the sun as the elders made their way around the curved of the temple to the nearest entrance, “Indeed it would be,” He agreed, “but we should ready ourselves for the no doubt endless questions that will be put to us.”

The Turaga of fire hummed softly in thought, “I wish we could answer even most of them.” Vakama glanced around to be sure the closest Matoran (and Toa) where distracted, “We only have the stories of old that Whenua saved from the Archives.”

Several shrieks came from behind, along with Tahu’s yelp, and the Turaga spun around to see most of those who had been playing in the water where evacuating the pool in a hurry. Tahu had been knee deep, getting ready to throw his fire sister and water brother into deeper water, the two Kora clinging to his arms to keep from going in the suddenly much cooler water.

Onewa’s multi colored eyes landed on the new young elemental that was grinning. At the same time the large pale form of Kopaka came out of the greenery in front of the Ko-Koro contingent, the Nuva of ice looked over at what could only be his Kora. As he blinked and took in what was happening- Tahu with the two clinging awkwardly to him as he high-stepped out of the water wincing at the cold, Onewa could have sworn he saw a faint smile.

“ToaBrothers!” A light male voice called, a gust of wind proceeding the air Toa. Lewa flipped before landing, hocking his blades to his forearms as he did so. The glow of his Kanohi faded as the green and tan Toa landed, trotting over closer, shooing the gathered Matoran into the Kini Nui, “Brothers, you must fallow me everquick. Wiseold Turaga please getfetch Onua.”

Lewa turned not waiting as he used his long legs to go back the way he came in but on the ground this time. Kopaka didn’t hesitate, moving alarmingly slight as he fallowed his air brother. Gali gracefully rose with Pohatu heaving himself up, at the same time Tahu had to shrug off his clinger-ons.

“Brother?” Gali called after.

“Softhush Ga-gi,” Lewa said motioning for the Toa not to ask as they were still in hearing range of the Matoran as he vanished into the Ga-Wahi forested wetlands. That instantly had the full attention of the other Nuva.

What would have Lewa worried that much?


	16. A growing spirit

“Kharzani...” Tahu muttered as he looked down at the struggling Rahi creature, Lewa had tangled the creature neatly and securely in a hastily constructed vine-net before fetching his brothers. The fire Toa glanced to his left at the second Rahi, a still and limp Corbrii that was the result of his air-brother’s earlier hunt. It was a common grazing beast that had more flesh then metal, and was the equivalent of the bison on earth... only with six legs, three horns on the head and a sail down the back and tail.

The Toa returned his attention to the caught, live and new Rahi.

“Mata Nui, what is it?” Pohatu crouched down behind the creature, reaching out with his claws to poke it in the back, getting a hiss and an attempted swipe with an extended blade arm.

The... creature was like most other biomechanical life forms beings of their island world, but despite the black armor it had a more organic look on the outside rather than a mechanical, more than the Corbrii really. And for that matter...

Kopaka pulled his stone brother back and stepped forward. He extended one of his swords with a quick burst of elemental energy, the pale Toa froze the Rahi and part of vine made netting that it had been trapped in. Kopaka waited a moment with his brothers to be sure the incasing ice was holding before moving closer for a better look with Onua.

“The armor isn’t really integrated like that of a Matoran’s.” The earth giant commented, rapping one of his claws on the black colored armor, reaching out with his other hand to pull Gali closer, “Look here, on the edge, the organic matter is burned as well as fused to the metal.”

“It is metal,” Kopaka said stepping back, “Just metal with no Protodurmus.”

“Not very strong then,” Tahu put in from behind Pohatu, crossing his arms as the three examined the Rahi. They had learned from the Bohrok to take a chance to examine new creatures like this when they showed up. The last thing the island needed was a new kind of swarm unexpectedly popping up with little to no warning.

“Not necessarily,” Onua looked up at his brothers, “Just because it’s plan metal doesn’t mean it’s weak. This is a kind I’ve never come across before.”

“I might have,” Kopaka hmmed thoughtfully as his fallowed the plated armor along the Rahi’s spine. The body of the thing was a bit long, as well as the arms that curved into spikes on the forearms, folding back not unlike how a praying mantis’ claws work. At the bend of that main claw, there were two smaller ones framing the one larger claw, allowing some added grip but no real dexterity like a Bionicle’s hands.

The hind legs were a little more normal looking, except for the feet that had been elongated as well, and grasping toes that spread out in three main digits forwards and two on ether side. “Could griptight with those,” Lewa spoke up again, pointing one of his air blades at the feet. He nudged Tahu and pointed next to the stumped, fleshy tail. “Does that lookseem wrong to you too firespitter?”

“To short.” Tahu grunted as Gali said the same.

“It’s paporstioned all wrong,” The water spirit said as she moved to examine the front, the neck was a little short to match up with the long body and the head was angular like a reptile...but there was just something very wrong about the whole thing.

“Look like da’ result of someone mix and matchin’.”

Lewa, Pohatu and Tahu spun around, reflexively going on the defensive but halted as the human formed Kora rocked back, startled at the weapons air at her. As well as the charge of elemental energy.

“Ack! No wait- its me, I mean, Kora o’ Ice here!” Tala lifted her arms, dropping her bag as she did so.

“Tala,” Kopaka said, reaching back to slap Pohatu’s nearer leg, sending a jolt of his element in the slight blow to get him to lower his claws. To bad it wasn’t Tahu that was closer... the older ice spirit looked back over at Tala, “Do you have that knife on you?”

Tala hesitated, eying the group because the Toa where very big after all, “Yes…?” She tilted her head as Kopaka mostioned her over. Rolling her eyes the woman started over with a muttered, “Oy.”

“Deepfelt sorry little icesister,” Lewa said as he slid his swords onto his back and dropped into a low crouch to be at Tala’s level as the Kora came by him, “You startled your Toabothers. Forgive?”

Much to the surprise of all, except Kopaka who knew the Kora best so far, Tala stepped closer and lightly thumbed her head against Lewa’s. Though she didn’t have a Kanohi mask yet, the motion was still the same, the Bionicle equivalent of a kiss. “No worries, I did fallow you lot without tellin’.” Tala said in her strange accent.

“Tala.” Kopaka said as if mildly annoyed, though inwardly enjoying the flabbergasted look on Tahu and Pohatu.

“Hold your horses,” Tala said, stooping to pull out the knife in her left boot, as she stood back up the Kora flipped the Matoran sized blade to her other hand. Grasping it by the blunted blade Tala through the thing at Kopaka, and was impressed that he caught it. You know, without losing it in his hand or something...

“What are ‘horses?’” Pohatu asked tilting his head as Kopaka examined the small blade.

“An organic Rahi from earth,” Tala explained, “Used for a bunch o’ different things. Like ridin’, pack-creatures to carry, pull. Stuff like that before more modern vehicles were made.” She eyed the creature Lewa had caught the whole time she was speaking, tensing up, though the Toa that noticed assumed it was just from the sight of this new Rahi.

“Onua,” Kopaka handed over Tala’s knife to the earth giant, “This seems like the same metal that’s on the Rahi.”

“It does, wrong color but,” Onua held the blade and tapped the human made metal on his left forearm, listening to the clink-clink that resulted. “What is this little sister?”

“Titanium.” Tala said, turning her head to the Toa though her eyes remained on the Rahi, “One o’ da’ stronger metals on earth.” She added squinting a bit. Did that’s thing’s eyes move under the ice? For that matter it’s eyes weren’t anything like the native Rahi or the Matoran’s, most all having bioluminescence and had two or three colors. This was almost like... like...

“So manufactured not natural or a byproduct of a Toa’s elemental usage.” Onua hummed thoughtfully himself now.

“Er…” Tala started swallowing as the Rahi’s eye moved to stare ahead, at her.

“How would the beast get this ‘titanium,’” Gali stood, saying the new word slowly so not to garble it as she broke the vines with one of her water axes. Intending to take the frozen Rahi to the Turaga to see if the elders knew what it was, they had known of the Bohrok after all, “Let alone as apart of it in such away?”

“Could it be made?” Pohatu asked, twitching his claws and exchanging looks with Tahu, who didn’t seem to like that idea any more than he did.

Tala lifted her hand for attention as she watched the Rahi’s gaze shift again to her right, where no one was standing. Her other hand lifted with fingers pressing just behind her ear, Tala the Kora finally tore her gaze away to scan around.

“The Makuta?” Lewa growled lightly, “As if the darkbad one did not get the Toamessage the last few times.” The green Toa’s claws dug into the earth under him. “This is our islandhome, and we will protect it and the Matoran alwaysforever!”

“Well said brother.” Onua phrased.

“Hit the deck!” Tala’s yelled suddenly, dropping down to the ground and covering her head. Too bad the Toa didn’t know that phrase. Tala waited a beat as there was a flurry of movement all around and several crashes, the grown itself trembling in a micro bio-quake as both Onua and Pohatu fell. There was a screech that was echo by other voices, the sound of braking glass and ice before Tala lifter her head, peering up between her arms as she watched more of the formally trapped Rahi breaking their pack mate out and into freedom.

Others were clinging to the Toa, Tahu roaring in protest at the one on his back as it used its long fore-claws, alternating between hanging on and jabbing at the exposed bits of hid in joints and between armor. Another was attempting to trip the red elemental up as it attached itself to his legs. Tahu wasn’t the only one being assaulted by the creatures, Lewa was leaping and rolling, trying to knock off his unwelcome passengers, unable to reach them. Gali was having less luck as she staggered in mid motion, about to swing her axe to keep one of the Rahi off and away from Onua’s exposed neck.

“Brother!” Gali yelled, twisting to use the flat of one of her axes to hit the creature trying to cling to her back. There was a satisfying scruuunk sound before it fell off. “Onua? Pohatu? Kopaka?” She swatted at another on her earth brother, looking to the side in time to see Tahu drop kicking one Rahi before diving at the cluster on their pale brother.

They are like insects, The water elemental realized. An individual wasn’t overly strong but a group... far more than just an annoyance.

“Why are our Toabrother’s not rising?” Lewa demanded as he charged over to defend Pohatu.

“I do not know-ah!” Gali yelped, dropping one axe to grasp and yank one of the creatures off her arm, “Beware brothers… they…bite.”

Oh look, they had venom.

Gali felt her body lock up and then go limp, falling over so she was half on Onua, half beside him. On the up side now she knew what was happening to her brothers. On the down side she found out the hard way. The Toa of water looked up to see one of the Rahi climbing over Onua, the other Toa jerked as his feeling started to come back to his body, thankfully proving the effects were temporary.

The Rahi that was about to bite Gali again found itself being tackled, not by a Toa, but Kora Tala and they rolled away from the Toa. The Rahi was almost twice as big as the Kora but that didn’t stop her, after all Bionicle were stronger then they looked. Matoran proved that every day, and although Tala looked human she wasn’t.

Actually, as Tahu looked over he had to do a double take, for seeing an un-masked Matoran like form wasn’t what he was expecting to see. Not that Tahu knew what to expect...

Tala grasped the creature’s arms, its claws scrapping the shield like board on her back but not gaining a hold as she headbutted it. “Ta-rota maree!”

“Watch your language!” Tahu snapped reflexively as he shrugged himself free at last, “Lewa, firestorm!” The Nuva leader ordered as he loosened his elemental energy, fire flickered and formed before crawling freely over his armor and on the ground around him.

The open flames were caught up and fed as Lewa added his own elemental energy to Tahu, the two going back to back as the very air crackled. Eyes glower brighter the two built up until a miniature tornado formed with Tahu’s fire.

The heat and flames burned at the undergrowth, over the twitching forms of their brothers and the now yipping Rahi. The creatures scrambling away, whining in pain as they fled as fast as their mutated bodies would let them.

It took a visible effort to tame down the firestorm and for Tahu to re-absorb the flames. Lewa hopped away from the other elemental as the protective heat shield protecting them died, glancing back to see the heat waves rolling off Tahu. Lewa looked around, scanning for the creatures but they seemed to have been scared off, or charred. A momentary pang of regret flashed through his heartlight at the pocket of burnt destruction, but his concern for his fellow Toa won out.

“Brother?” Lewa asked kneeling down but a muttering Kopaka. Movement had him and Tahu both lifting their swords before Lewa moved forward, over Kopaka and Onua to lift the stiff Rahi off Tala. “Icesister?”

“...ow.” the unmasked Kora muttered wincing, what exposed grey hide was dried out and uncomfortable against the now exposed armor. Tala said up, looking at her claw tipped hand, flexing the fingers, “Well, looks like I figured out how we get out o’ the human forms...”


	17. Spirits that Fall

"Okay," Kora Storm spoke up from her spot in front the lounging Onua where the Kora was pacing restlessly. She was unable to sit still since Tala and Deni had returned, Telem was the same way, the other two Kora to a lesser degree, as they had been farthest away from any of the mutated Rahi. "When it comes down to it, our- as in Kora in general, talents outside of the elemental thing is to track down corruption. Makuta's shadows that infected creatures, as well as corking holes in space."

" _Cork_?" Tahu echoed the core, English, word not the Bionicle suffix fallowing it.

"A plug, a seal," Tala translated from her perch, holding the digits of one hand in an open circle and used her other hand to cover over it.

"Ah." Tahu inclined of his head to show he understood the strange word.

"It seems that way," Telem sighed, blowing at her bangs before frowning, and then turning to her Turaga, "Why was this so hard to explain back in Po-Koro?" She demanded.

"Because child we didn't have all the information at the Koros, not individually." Onewa rapped his staff on the ground, in a way that had a few, including his own sister Nokama leaning away from the irritable elder. "It took much looking through our archives, and secured messengers before coming here and then conferring while the lot of you were frolicking and finding new threats to the island."

Had it been possible, Onewa might have jutted out a lower lip as he first waved his staff in a general manor, then pointed at the nearest Toa.

"Wise one, the threat would have come if we had discovered it or not." Onua said, the normally thunder deep voice of the earth giant was kept soft while inside this chamber of the great temple. The black Toa was very much alert, though had shifted to a reclined position in a way to stretch out his back.

It was Vakama that inserted himself in before his brother could ruffle up, "True, and this time we have better advanced warning." The elder looked to Lewa, then his tri-colored eyes turned to Kopaka and back to Onua, "Though not too long of a time, you Toa had a much look, no, an examination of these rahi creatures."

"One that we didn't get with the Bhorak at first." Kopaka's smooth voice put in, one hand rested on the nearest wall perching Kora. Lee tilted her head back, the younger elemental smiling at the soft attention from Kopaka as he moved to the cooler part of the chamber without really realizing it. "The remains are in Rahi storage below, a more careful examination will be wise."

"I will assist." Whenua announced, tapping a thoughtful finger on his staff. "Lewa, you said these rahi bleed red blood?" He blinked blue and green eyes as the attention of almost all the Kora was on him.

"Yes, it was an ever strangeweird thing Turaga." Lewa sat up dropping and using the Toa graze to avoid Jaller and Takua, he knelt down in the open center of the chamber and pulled one sword out of subspace, planting it in a creak in the stone. Then the green Bionicle took out a plant fiber made cloth he had used to clean his other sword, the red still semi bright on the touch cloth but glistened on the blade itself.

Storm came over with the earth Turaga, she touched a small dribble with two fingers, looking carefully before sniffing, "I can't be Bionicle. Bot being red, we have purple blood." She looking up and over to where Tala was perching, meeting the more natural Bionicle eye color mix, and seeing her sister's worry. Something was needling at both their minds but the reason wasn't presenting itself fully.

"Indeed." Turaga Whenua said as he examined the two offerings as well, frowning as Nokama came up beside him to take Storm's place.

"These Rahi creatures, mutants, are not very strong physically, even with that strange metal armor." Tahu snorted, flexing his claws as the Toa growled lowly. He was aware of Turaga Vakama eyeing him in semi disaprovel, but also the intent gazing of a few others. His Kora, as well as the Ta-Matoran. Thanks to Jaller the Ta-Koro Guard was now very much aware of their Toa's movements, both known and subconscious to better react to possible threats.

Lewa snorted next, pointing to the semi visible bite mark on Gali's wrist, "But a grouppack? These rahi are not to be underestimate if the darkbad one sent them from Shadows my firespitting Ta-Tu. Matoran must not be bitten, the venom will harm them, you." He added turning to the representatives of the villages, and pointed looking at Takua as well. "Chronicler, you must warn the Korohomes in your pathfinding, and any other traveling Matoran."

The green Toa rose to his full twenty foot hight, taking authority as only a Toa could, aware of all, even his brother and sister Toa and Kora watching and listening intently to Lewa's words. Tree speech or not, he was still an elemental guardian and a _Nuva_ ,

"The drubs of Ga-Koro must beatpulse long into the darknight. All the darknight. Warn out island home, Pohatu brother, would you run a few venom sacks to Le-Kora?" Lewa turned to his stone brother.

"That's brilliant Lewa," Onua sat up fully, catching Hali as she slid off his crest to the cradle of his arms with a chirp at the unexpected movement. "With both the healing Koros working on an anti toxin, we might head off a possible crisis!"

"I think we're going to have to break out the energy stone cash to charge the equipment." Hali muttered softly, looking to her elder, and then pretended not to notice the baffled look on Toa Tahu and some of the Kora. If she didn't, the Ga-Matoran was sure she'd start laughing or giggling and she didn't want to imply disrespect to Tahu of all the Toa.

The pale form of Kopaka shifted to the foreground as Lewa and Pohatu moved to start picking their careful way to fetch the intact venom in the rahi remains. "Now that we also know how to trigger the change in the Kora, we must do so for the others," Kopaka inclined his head to the remaining four human-disguised Kora, his voice never loosing the smooth quality. "Turaga, do you have an idea of the rate the Kora will grow?"

Kopaka looked pointedly at Tala, then at Dani where hi was sitting beside Gali's side, exactly the same size of the average Matoran at five feet. His own Kora wasn't much bigger.

"I suspect it will be a rapid growl from the old data pads." Nokama said slowly, then paused as a shrill whistle of Nuju butting in at last sounded. The water village's elder held a head up to Matoro, listening the complicated rhythm of clicks and other sounds. "Yes brother," Nokama nodded, "For the first few eight-days you Toa will be hunting more than you would normally do for the villages."

"Proteins for growth?" Telem asked, speaking up again.

"Proteins, minerals and protodurmus." Turaga Whenua rapped his staff on the ground firmly. "The Matoran will ad in the gathering of minerals, and Onu-Kora has a splinted vain of the powdered protodurmus. Now that the Makuta sickness his no lingering holding you, young Telem, you will need to grow, and have think armor like the Toa Mata did when they first arrived. The Island of Mata Nui is our paradise," Whenua lifted his arms to indicate the whole island before his green and blue gaze swept over all, "But it far from a tamed Metru, these are our wild Wahi lands. And you Kora, you will be facing things we of the Koros just can not, our defenders."

"So drink you milk, and stay on your toes." Kara, the Kora of earth spoke up, her own voice normally soft clearly heard after that. She saw Lee, Storm and Telem grinning at the first, human reference and words.

Yet to the side, and above, Tala was scowling down at the stone sphere under her feet, her perch, eyeing the 'ground' suspiciously. As if the stone was the reason she was swaying a bit ever few minutes, and as if it was the cause of her suddenly questionable balance. Up until now, Tala had never really had a problem with her sense of balance as far as she could remember. If anything it had been uncanny in the human world, and then here- _home,_ it was improving by leaps and bounds with every long day on the island. The Kora shifted again, squinting her eyes at the glaring sun beams and then looking around at those around her. She was aware of someone speaking, but could only hear the tone, no words filtered into her fuzzing awareness.

"Um..." Tala lifted a hand, trying to find the big white blur that would be the elder ice spirit.

Kopaka saw the raised arm out of the corner of his eye, and lifted his own hand to stop the discussion. He had ignored Tala one too many times already today and that had resulted in him being pounced on and then lying paralyzed for a while by these new Rahi.

Understandably, he wasn't going to take that chance again, not with the Matoran and Turaga here.

"Wait," Kopaka said to Onua, his brother stopping his detailed description of the new Rahi to a group of Nokama, Matua and Takua, as Kopaka stood up again, "What is it Tala?"

"...I donna... feel so well Ko-Tu..." Tala muttered before her eyes dimmed, the Kora tilted to the side and her knees gave out, collapsing off her spot. Thudding down on the steps as the Ga-Matoran in that section scattered so not to be landed on, before hurrying forward again, beating the Toa to the fallen elemental.

"Kora!"

"Tala!"

"What happened?" Onewa demanded, pausing mid step, eyes widening as it hit him. The Turaga would have kicked himself if he wasn't rushing over, but then the Turaga of Po-Koro halted.

The Ga-Matora were two steps ahead of their elders, of everyone really, already pulling Tala to lay flat on her back. Macku hovered over the Kora's head, hesitating as she lifted her hands. Not because this was a brand new mask, given to her by her most favorite person on the island, but to make sure she still had her _old_ one on her. Macku pulled the new Rue off as Turaga Nokama pushed her way through her villagers, and then pressed the Kanohi onto the Kora's unmasked face.

It took a moment, than Macku felt the mask shifted and reform slightly as it linked with Tala's system. The elemental's multi colored eyes snapped open, Tala sucked in a breath as the Kanohi integrated. Then in turn her own elemental and Toa energies triggered the mask itself to activate. The physical change showed next, Tala's armor bleached out from it's dark color to stark white, with under tones of a now lighter shade of grey in the parts of exposed hide.

Tala let out a protesting, "Aaahh!" Back arching and then jerked up into a sitting position. She stared wide-eyed at Nokama, "Ow." She informed the water village's elder before flopping back down with a groan, hand to her new mask with claws clicking against it.

"What happened?" Macku worried, having never seen that reaction in Matoran without Kanohi, they normally just woke up or came back to consciousness slowly depending on how long they were without a mask. The Ga-Matoran fetched her old mask out of her sub space pocket, reminded to do so by her fellows and fitted it on before any heaviness could settle on her own limbs.

"The Kanohi is no longer dormant," Nokama said, resting a hand over Tala's heartlight, feeling the tri-pulse grow reassuringly stronger under her fingers with each passing click. Movement beside her had the female Turaga looking up, "Brother?" she asked watching Vakama hurriedly hobbling away, reaching back into his own subspace.

The fire elder threw the mask, the first one he could grab, to Gali, "Quickly, give that too Deni!"

Gali caught the Kanohi and turned to her Kora, understanding now the threat. Her Kora had changed into his Bionicle body not long after Tala, so reasonably he was about the have the same reaction. Deni was normally so quiet, and Gali felt guilt grip her stomachs and creep up into her chest as she fitted the blank, newly crafted mask to the water Kora's bare face. He didn't really move, red and gold eyes all but closed and dimmed low.

"Deni, brother?" Gali asked, her voice coxing and soft, allowing Turaga Whenua to examine the younger water spirit just before he yelped and jumped up. Deni's own grey armor paling than shifting to the blue of a water elemental. The Kora, with wide eyes automatic attached himself to Gali's side, shivering from the new flow of elemental energy like his ice sister was.

"I didn't do it- Talra did!" The young male yipped.

"Oy!" Tala protested, turning to glare with that seemingly ingrained chilled annoyance all ice Toa could muster even if she didn't use it nearly as often as some. "I only did the ninja thing." She was pointing in the general direction of Deni's voice, "Hang on, I got to pass out here." She added as the world was already fuzzing out to shadowy darkness, voices going semi-distant and tinny.

Kharzani this was going to be a long day...


	18. Spirits that wake

When Tala came back to her senses, she was aware first of a contradictory of elemental energy.

It was still the warm and tropical air of Ga-Wahi, but her frame itself was almost frozen. Starting from a patch on her stomach and spreading out to let the raw Ko-energy seep in. Speeding up the recovery from the Kora's lack of a Kanohi mask.

Tala opened her eyes, now blue and tinted white, the other eye in shades of red, glowing with the bioluminescence, she looked up at the open chamber of the Kini Nui. A tilt of the head showed most of the gathering still here, though Tahu was carving up their roasted meal.

Takua had firmly attached himself to the red Toa's shoulders where he had climbed up, waiting excitedly for his favorite cut. Tahu would give it to him, having a soft spot for his wandering charge, who always came home to Ta-Koro, and yes also happily rambled for hours at a time telling him of the Chronicler's adventures and the island news.

Lifted her head, the pale Kora looked at herself, hearing Telem and Storm start a slap fight over a plate of purple snow berries from Ko-Koro. Only to yelp as Macku swooped by and swiped the whole thing for Deni. Tala smiled, and then reached down to touch the larger hand spread over her lower torso, leaning back against Kopaka's thigh, with his hand over her, Tala was intently grateful for the now reassuring chill. She could more feel the vibration from Kopaka as he purred in his quiet way, the younger Kora closed her fingers into a loose fist to tap white knuckles against those of the Toa's.

Kopaka looked down, humming a questioning tone. Beside him, Onua leaned over to look at the Kora.

"She's waking up?" The earth giant asked, tapping a claw on their sister's semi-soft armor. Comparatively that is, the living protodurmus was as thick as a Matoran's.

"Yeah I…" Tala started, only to stop in surprise at the double garble from her middle, "I… I'm _starving_." She admitted in some embarrassment.

Kopaka chuckled softly, "Not unexpected. Deni woke back up not long ago,"

"And has been eating like a Toa," Onua put in, grinning. "Don't worry Ko-Gi, you can stuff your stomachs to your heartlight's content." He added, reaching out to pick up a platter of fruit and offered it. Kopaka took it and set it down by Tala as she sat up.

"Where's Pohatu and Lewa?" Tala asked after Kopaka rose and left to get some meat, the younger spirit edging back with the fruit until her back was against black armor.

Onua watched the Kora start eating like Tahu does after he hadn't eaten in 3 or 4 8-days, this was more than entertaining as was the thought of Kara doing the same later, "Lewa is with the Ga-Kora healers, and Pohatu ran some of that paralyzing venom to the Le-Koro healers as well." Pausing Onua touched the smaller Bionicle's side, adding, "How's your hide? Coming back to your real from in the middle of a Nuva fueled fire storm cannot have been good for an ice elemental."

Tala swallowed, only to roll her eyes at herself for taking another bite, then gave up and shrugged, "I feel much better brother." Tala said managing not to garble her words, "I'd imagine I'll feel even better in Ko-Wahi. My hide seems to be a little drier, not burnt."

"Well said Ko-Gi," Onua said softly, smiling as Tala blinked back up at him. He rumbled in amusement as Kopaka placed a wooden plate of roasted Corbrii meat and fish, instantly distracting the Kora.

"Now vat?" this time the words were garbled a bit, blue and red eyes looking up.

"Training starts for you and Deni." Kopaka said already plotting out hunts in Ko-Koro with search patterns, his optic shifting and focusing on the human disguised Kora one at a time. The Toa of Ice's great Nuva mask had a faint glow to it as he did so, "There might be a… timing factor to the Kora's changing." He paused and added, correcting himself, "Loosing that Kanohi that hides them."

"What do you see Kopaka?" Onua tilted his head, glancing at his Kora, watching her learning about net making from both a Ga- and a Le-Matoran.

Kopaka looked down at Tala from where he stood, then over to the nearest of the other Kora, nodding at Telem. "Before when Tala arrived, I could barely see the protodurmus enhanced supports, now in them I can see a more Matoran frame under the illusion."

"You can see through it?" Lee asked, pausing in passing, having been sent to fetch some snow berries for the Turaga Matau and Whenua.

Tala pointed up at the Toa, "Ko-Tu has an x-ray mask or…" She paused at the baffled look, and switched languages to a slightly older dialect of Matoran that the Toa Hanu used, and again to English to explain the Kanohi Akaku, how it was used to see things that were hidden, like the Kora right now, but only when active.

Kopaka brought another plate of meat, again more fish than the red, before moving off with Onua at Vakama's beckoning. The meeting seemed to be over for now, with those going mostly quiet with food, or moving off and out of the chamber to eat on their own. Or in the case of one couple, Hewkii pulling a humming-blushing Macku off to giggles from some of the other Matoran. Telem grinned at seeing one of the stars of her new village home escaping before one of the Toa- or even Hafu, could start teasing him in Pohatu's place. She rose and migrated over to the cluster of Tala, Deni and Lee, perking up at seeing the former two far more alert and though maybe a few inches taller than that afternoon, they were still human and Matoran size.

"I think this may be one of the only times a human wants to double their size." She said in English, and finding it surprising how she had been this whole time speaking Matoran without having noticed the switch, and that it took a notable mental switch. However, Telem didn't want to disturb the Chronicler and Turaga Nuju's translator from their conversation not far away over their own meal.

Lee giggled, answering automatically in the same language with an accent as well. "If we were human, I think I've always ate twice as much as any boy or girl my size and age back on Earth."

"Tell me about it," Storm huffed as she flopped down with as much as a lack of grace as she could beside Tala, stealing a strip of Corbrii. "Earth did have some things I miss, like being able to get chocolate or coffee... or the fragging addictive TV shows…"

"That's weird." Deni spoke up after coming up for air as Kara came over as well. The Kora instinctively grouping together, perhaps on Toa instinct, or programing, and not noticing the flashes of approval from some of the Turaga.

"What?" the others looked at him.

"Now that I think about it," Deni explained, "Earth Magna? Onu Magna?"

Kara chuckled, "Yes, it does sound odd now." She moved closer to look at Tala's back, examining the ridges in the armor, as well as the armor itself, that matched more to a Toa's instead of a Matoran's. Just smaller. The white Kora even had those 'grips' the Nuva had built in for a Matoran to cling to, and thus freeing up hands and arms to defend.

" _Terra_?" Tala offered after a moment, swallowed before adding, "It means earth but as far as I know there's no Matoran word of the same name as 'terra'..." She paused, and turned to look over at the two nearest Matoran. "Matoro? What do you think of that for calling the human world?"

"Speak Matoran, not English," Storm said automatically.

"Its okay," The soft voice of Matoro said as he looked at the Kora group and then moved over with Takua, and he had no trouble with the alien words. They were easier than the full conversations Nuju made him have in the language of the birds sometimes.

"He's a Language Master," Tala explained, grinning in the Bionicle way fully now. "Matoro has already picked up three of the human languages I know of."

"I'm not fluent in them, but I think I have a good grasp," The Ko-Matoran smiled back at Takua, "Seems our Chronicler has picked up one as well."

"I have learned to take advantage of my trips out, and meeting most of you Kora," The island's Chronicler beamed, deciding on being shameless as he joined in on this conversation in English as well to show he'd been paying attention. He had a bowl full of his favorite foods, and the best cut of meat to his starved seeming stomachs. Though maybe Takua was one of the best fed Matoran on Mata Nui, as a good story in trade for a meal was one of his best tactics and a fair trade to most.

"Its amazing how fast Bionicle learn," Kara said, smiling as she offered her fish to Tala, preferring the Corbrii anyways.

"That and having a bunch language dialects in there already helps." Tala chuckled, tapping the side of her head with a claw tip. "But that's only part of the fun."

Matoro smiled, "It is fun learning more..." He nibbled on a sweet pie from Ga-Koro before looking up and switching back to Matoran-standard, "To belatedly answer your question Tala, I don't think there is a... ' _terra'_ as far as I know. So using that for the human world seems expectable." He gave a snort and pointed up, "Mata Nui, we live on a water moon called _Aqua_ - _Magna_. If the humans like calling their magna a variation of 'earth' then who are we to stop them?"

"Don't think we could," Takua drawled with his mouth full, but showing the same skill Tala had before and not garbling his words.

"Nope," Telem agreed as she scratched at a spot on her arm. She paused mid-itch, a motion that was not lost on the Chronicler.

Takua may not always be the brightest Gako of the flock, but as anyone that truly knew the island's Story Keeper would tell you, he was not dumb. Nor as even Jaller would semi begrudgingly admit, did Takua miss a lot. In fact the once blue-masked tool maker had become the bane of the Turaga at times, as Takua had become so effective of a Chronicler that he always caught the snippet mentions of other islands they knew of. Forcing the elders to make extra sure it was clear before talking in conference.

He also was as good at annoying the Tao with this skill of _noticing_ as much as it was a use to them.

...though Tahu and Kopaka preferred to keep any slip ups privet, despite it happening to best of beings they did have some of an image to keep up. Thus one of the reasons they tolerated their wayward charge clinging to shoulders and backs for rides or just spending a day with a Toa.

So Takua noticed when the Kora en mass had stilled, just unexpectedly stopping and _focusing_ on something unseen. The Chronicler tilted his head, and then looked in the direction the Kora were looking.

Tala shifted first, still with a mouth full the white elemental narrowed her eyes before rising. She glanced at Storm and Telem, meeting the Chronicler's gaze for a moment before she was up and moving. It was automatic and it seemed to Takua like they we're aware of what they were doing.

Tala glanced back over at Takua and Matoro, who had picked up on the subtle changes after the Chronicler did. One bright blue eye and one red, the Kora of ice smirked and winked the red one.

Then, Tala and Dani where gone, Matoran sized they may be, but they had the Toa agility and ability to not make that much sound. Telem and Storm next, with Kara and Lee fallowing.

Impulse flashed, and in a way that drove Takua's best friend Jaller crazy enough to hiccup fireballs at times, the Chronicler didn't think but ran after the Kora. Matoro reflexively fallowing as a part of the Chronicler's company, and that was his friend.

The whole exodus had taken less than a minute, and five minutes later after that one very confused pale Toa of ice was staring at the empty section where the Kora had been.


	19. A spirit that thinks

"We should not be doing this!" Storm panted as she ran through the Great Temple.

"No. No, we should not." Matoro agreed, skidding around a corner as he easily kept up with the Kora, but his blue eyes were locked onto the Ta-Matoran ahead of him.

Takua knew his way not just through the Great Temple, but all the temples and suvas on the island really, better than anyone else now. He wasn't shy about using his knowledge, ducking a side path more than once to keep up with the changed Kora. There was a story happening all at once and he wasn't going to miss out. Nor was Matoro letting his friend out of his sight and into any kind of trouble they couldn't get out of again. Both Matoran had seen what was going on, mostly with the 'leaders' of the group, how the Kora where moving and acting.

As an accomplished hunter himself, Matoro knew the signs of someone tracking, the habits of Bionicle and Rahi alike, and how the Toa in general hunted. Not just Kopaka, as over the years the Language Master had seen the other Toa in action as well. From safe distances watching Lewa dive from the sky to land on a Rahi, to how Gali fallowed or being followed by a shark and then the fish stakes that night. Or fallowing in the footsteps of Tahu with the Ta-Koro Guard, and quiet grace of dark shadows at night when Onua and Pohatu in their nocturnal hunts. Takua had seen the same, and seen those traits reflected in the Kora. They were hunting, tracking something with other senses that Toa had, just like the Turaga mentioned. Something the guardians had beyond a vague sense the Matoran did, guiding and whatever it was the Kora picked up on triggering this hunting reflex first in Tala and Deni, then the others.

Despite himself, despite _knowing_ _full well_ that he was going to be tossing himself Kanohi-deep in trouble, Takua was grinning. He clutched his staff, flipped around so the hammer side was in a position to use for attack or defense. A quick glance back proved that Matoro had pulled his hunting spear and sled-shield from subspace. The two Matoran moved in tandem, moving to the right and up a set of Matoran sized stairs that were little more than stone pegs just big enough for a Matoran foot and spaced apart for a stride. It would put them right over head level of the Kora and most Matoran.

It also put Takua mask to face with the creature that had lifted up on the wall to almost hesitantly peer into the temple at the same time. The wedged shaped head was less than a few finger-spands away from his Kanohi, the brown eyes of the creature seemed almost as surprised as it focused on the Matoran's own tri-colored, glowing gaze.

" _Kharzani!_ " Takua yelped, jerking back as the creature gave a short shriek and flailed back and almost off the outer wall as well. The creature was holding on by its grasping feet while the Ta-Matoran dropped back into the temple and onto Matoro, his arms flailing before the two scrambled back away from the window. "Okay, that's new!" Takua said as he used his athletic experience to spin up to his feet and grab the white shoulders, pulling Matoro back even more.

"Don't you _dare!"_ It was, unexpectedly, Deni that launched over the Matoran and up on the window and reached through. Muscle cables rippled as the newly unlocked, natural Bionicle strength surged through the dark blue Kora. He grabbed a hold of the metal covered helm-head, not a Kanohi at all, and then _yanked_ with all he could, slamming the Rahi's head into the think stone of the temple. Then again, and a third time before letting the thoroughly stunned rahi go and fall to the ground- further dazing it.

Currently as Deni was, he couldn't really physically fit through the window. He might, but he wasn't sure of the still developing armor, the new weight and 'clearance.' The Kora dropped back down to the stone-tile floor on the inside, pausing for a moment at the reaction he had. As well as the momentary, but intense instincts that had kicked in when he saw that flash fear in the two Matoran.

"Mata Nui Deni!" The Chronicler said, brightening up as he pulled his shield out of subspace, while Matoro got a hold of his spear once he was up right again.

"Um...I did that?" Deni asked, turning as the Tala was running ahead of the group and to the open door.

"Yes Kora- go!" Matoro pushed at a dark shoulder and back, towards that doorway as Telem and Storm skidded around the corner. He and the Ta-Matoran weren't far behind, knowing the Toa programming for defiance would kick in, but they at least had some practice.

Almost at the last second, Takua fumbled to skip to a stop, backtracking to the main corridor again. The Matoran gave a sharp, ear piercing whistle that was a three tone whistle, it echoed down to where the main group was, including all those Guard members. His alarm had distant scrambling echoing back to him as he felt a pulse of elemental energy, fire that he knew so well from Tahu, but not as _much_.

Later Takua would find out from Matoro that one of the Rahi-creatures had taken a swipe at Storm, making the Kora reflexively dodge. Bending back as if in a limbo game, only this involved a long blade, and the fear triggered the camouflage to break. It almost had a chain reaction with Lee, who was caught in the fire, and after much yelling on the part of the Kora _and_ the rahi.

By the time Pohatu charged out first, his claws snapped out and forward, ready to defend, there was a group of rather embraced, awkward Kora, the last Rahi running away into the wetlands with singed armor, and bruising between the armor from the flying rocks.

Kara looked up at the stone giant from beside Telem who was nursing a spot where she had been hit with a fallen tree brach from the Rahi. Kara was the only one who hadn't lost her human disguised so she blushed with red over her cheeks, "Um… we did a thing, and things happened. Well we heard- no felt something and fallowed it, then we did a thing and a lot of things happened all at once."

"Owww..." Lee and Deni were nursing burn marks, and the very embarrassed Tala was using a Ko-Matoran made hunting knife to chip off the ice that had Takua stuck to the ground. Storm had her head burred in her hands, looking like she wanted to melt into the ground as Matoro patted her shoulder.

Pohatu considered the look of bewilderment on Takua, and knew in that moment that if the Chronicler was having trouble with grasping a situation it must have been _chaotic_. He took a breath and held it for a second, "Okay..." he looked in the directed that the rahi had limped off before smiling at the Kora. As Tahu and Lewa came out, Pohatu said with some affection in his voice, "At least you chased off the rahi!" He turned, shifting so his brothers only saw a pointed look to Lewa, "We need to help the Kora with their, our elements."

"I see," Tahu said with a wince seeing the burns and the mortification from Storm.

"Here, here," Lewa purred moving over first, kneeling down as she scanned the ground and staracks to make sense. He rubbed the backs of his claws down Dani's back then worked a little healing energy to help with the burns. "Looks like the same tracks as before Ta-tu."

"I see," Tahu said again, moving to cup his hands over Storm as Matoro jumped back, putting out the new fire that started by absorbing the flames. "Easy sister, fire won't hurt you."

"I hurt them!" Storm yipped, leaning back into one of Tahu's hands, yellow, white and orange tri-colored eyes wide as she hugged herself, yipping as another fire started around her.

"Nothing that can't be healed," Tahu tried to asure, keeping the smaller flames from spreading far.

"Sorry Takua..." Tala said very softly from her spot, glancing up to the others, and seeing Kopaka's gaze on her and the matoran that was balancing using her kneeling for and chipping on the other side of his foot. Something akin to misory at realizing she must have disappointed the white Toa, it formed in her chest and she ducked her head. Missing the view of Tahu putting a Kanohi on Storm to help her stop setting fires and scaring herself into setting more. He produced tow more Matoran Kanohi masks, to toss to Pohato and Lewa.

"Its alright Tala," the Chronicler assured, taking a moment to duck his head and grin at the red and blue gaze, "Really, it is. I've been frozen by Kopaka three times coming up on him, and set on fire even!"

"That's not something we're proud of." Tahu snorted, having heard that.

"Well..." Takua heaved and pulled himself free, flailing his arms and getting caught by Tala. He righted himself, "There! I'm free." He trotted over to Matoro, pulling out a burn cream to rub into his friend's elbow joint. He looked around to notice the new masks, and took some pride noting that they were Ta-Koro made and seeing them charged with elemental energy.

Takua resisted touching his own blue mask, looking around, seeing the different Guard members from different villages were acting as one unit to scan the area for the Rahi with Pohato. Gali was just diving into the water to go check the nearest of the out posts around in Ga-Wahi. Taking careful note of anything going on around him, absorbing it all as he could now, the Chronicler had learned some tricks in regards to memory. This was recovery, Bionicle sorting out what happened and returning back into the temple, Kopaka and Lewa donating their own lesser healing abilities to the injured Kora. Matoro pulling Tala back inside after noticing her staring at the trees and undergrowth. Toa Tahu scooped up the smaller fire spirit and held Storm against his heart light to help calm her down as he stepped back into the temple himself. Takua say how Onua knelt, squinting at the lit but not as much as the Onu-Koro Turaga, and touch the comparatively tiny human form, making sure Kara was alright. Telem was leaning against the black Toa's leg, looking exhausted to the sudden activity, losing and then getting a new Kanohi mask.

"Hmm..." Takua was thoughtful, feeling wavering elemental energies from the Kora and then turned to study one of the tracks from these new Rahi. There was something about the track that reminded him of...something. Takua wasn't sure _what_ it was about the track as he watched it's outline soften from being in mud.

"Takua?" Jaller's voice asked, the taller Ta-Matoran stepping up beside his friend, spotting the look of concentration he arched a golden eye ridge on his mask, "What is it Chronicler?" he asked, not really formally or joking.

"There's something about these new Rahi, Jaller." Takua started softly, just to his friend, not the Captain of the Ta-Koro Guard. It was recognized as Jaller rested his spear on his shoulder, a slightly 'down guarded' position he always did when they were talking away from duty. It was enough that the other Matoran left them alone, Matoro might have come over if Nuju hadn't grabbed the Language master to translate an in depth conversation with the other Turaga and the Toa later.

Jaller knew the topics, and the main subject of how to help the Koro, "What's bothering you Takua?" He asked once they were left, turning after getting a good look at the track, so Takua's back wasn't exposed with no one watching it.

"That's it Jaller, I can't put my finger on it." The shorter male rubbed the side of his Kanohi, staring more into space, "I was face to face with one and... something's just bothering me. Like I'm missing something."

"You hardly ever miss things now," Jaller said glancing to the side, his mostly red eyes looked at Takua's orange. "Even if you don't remember it first, as soon as you start writing you put down almost too many details. That's what Turaga Onuwa said."

Takua smiled up at his taller friend, "Maybe I should Wright this down to night, it did all happen pretty fast."

The golden Kanohi wearing male tilted his head a bit, "It was, I just notice that you were gone, then the Kora where too before I heard your alarm whistle. What happened to make you leave?"

"The Kora," Takua explained that part, "Just suddenly it was like something caught all their attention and I saw Tala and Dani moving like they were hunting."

"So you followed without thinking?"

Smiling at the snort he got, Takua shrugged helplessly, "What can I say? Its who I am I think."

"Come on crazy Chronicler of the island, get back in the temple, I'll check in with Toa Pohatu." Jaller shook his head, pushing Takua in to the entrance and trotting out into the loose wet land jungle.

Takua paused inside, turning he jumped up to the same window as before, staring as he remembered the Rahi's eyes the Matoran frowned. Those eyes hadn't been glowing and... he hadn't wanted to fully admit to Jaller yet they reminded him of Kora Kara and Telem mostly, but like the Kora in their human forms in general.

And that bothered Takua as he remembered what happened to rahi in the past with the corrupted Kanohi masks that Makuta made that mutated several types of rahi.


	20. Spirits that See

Kara took a deep breath, staring around the night time Ga-Koro lit by glowing stones and some small fires. "Ohhh…wow." Her eyes drifted up, seeing for the first time with no obstructions the night sky since coming to the island, and the Kora stopped in her tracks.

She wasn't aware of Jaller almost running her over, the Ta-Guard managed to corrected his pace, his still was bent over the smaller Kora. The six foot Matoran got his balance back with the help his spear, staring down at Kara for a moment, he glanced up, scanning around for any threats from above. Then it hit him, Jaller looked back down, his eyes softened a bit. "You haven't been above ground at night yet, have you?" He asked softly, shifting his stance to settle back on the dock.

The Kora of earth shook her head, memorized at seeing the globe of copper and emerald. With ribbons of red and oranges swirling around Bara Magna, the flairs of bright yellow and pink colors that were blooming patters on Bota Magna, and the bright red pulse of the red star. All this was against the background if millions of stairs, with some sweeping haze of silver and purple around the main planet and its two moons.

"We really are on a moon..." It was one thing to hear about this, to catch a glimpse of Bara in the trees before going into the temples, and it was quiet another for Kara to really _see_ the bigger planet and the second moon for herself.

"Yes," Jaller nodded, glancing back to where the congregation of Matoran, Turaga and Toa had come from. Most had long since vanished into the now quieter, but not asleep village, to be hosted in the different huts with friends. Some in the floating pods, or those affixed to the cliff face. Jaller looked back down at Kara, hesitated as he wanted to go to the Ga-Koro Guard area, but Tahu had ordered him rest for now. "Come with me." He smiled.

Kara blinked a few times and realized the bigger male had taken her hand and pulled her along down the maze like pattern of docks. She couldn't help the flush of color that seemed to burn from her cheeks to her neck, "Where are we going?" she asked, taken aback and fighting a few conflicting emotions being led by the Ta-Matoran. If it was possible she would have blushed more when Jaller grabbed Kara around the waist to pull to one side, letting a group of three Ga-Matoran that were more her height walk by, caring a large, long bundle of something Kara thought smelled like shellfish over their heads.

The Kora of earth felt her embarrassment increased as the last Ga-Matoran really took a second look, not as concentrated on where her feet were going to notice this was a different human then their Kora. Noticing how the Captain of the Ta-Koro Guard was holding the Kora against him, and the flustered look. Her yellow and gold eyes lit up with mirth and a low tone of whispers started once passed to her two complains as Jaller pulled Kara with him again.

"You'll see, its not far," Jaller grinned down at the Kora, something she hadn't seen the serious Captain do. Smile a little at Takua in the Kini Nui yes, but nothing like that. He hadn't seemed the type to grin broadly.

Kara looked around the network of docks of Ga-Koro, the intricate maze of wood and stone. She slowed enough at an odd sight over and between the domed low level 'huts.' The Ta-Matoran looked back and chuckled as the sight of the last three Toa lowering themselves into the water. Pohatu and Tahu looked less then thrilled at this, the stone Toa gripping Onua and Lewa's arms as he made sure that he was able to stand in the water, alarmed even with their reassurance. Tahu was standing chest deep, ridged and uncomfortable enough that some water was steaming around him, a wide eyed Storm was balanced on his shoulders out of the water level, clinging to the red Toa's head.

"Tahu can swim," Jaller said as he slowed with Kara, "Sort of, but most all of the Toa have too much dense armor on them to swim like Matoran can. Gali is the beast, obviously, and Takua says Lewa swims better then he lets on, but Tahu and Kopaka are getting heavy, and both Onua and Pohatu walk in the water, or sink."

"Pohatu doesn't look like he's happy at all." Kara noted the frowning brown mask on the other side of the docks.

"He really doesn't like getting in the water," Jaller tilted his head, the gold kanohi reflecting the fire and crystal light of the Koro, "He can't swim at all I heard, but the others will keep him fine, and this part of Ga-Koro is shallow. For the Toa that is." He added, looking over the edge of the dock.

Kara peered into the darken waters as well before she shivered a bit, "I can't swim either." The Kora of earth admitted to the Matoran.

"You can't?" The Ta-Matoran paused, considering this to re-evaluate a possible path for them.

"No," Kara shook her head as she walked beside Jaller when he started off again, not that her hand was let go yet. "It's not that I don't like water, I just can never stay up on my own. I like hot-tubs though."

"Can you hold onto someone's back?" Jaller asked, not sure if he should ask if she had a panic reaction like Pohatu and Tahu sometimes did.

"As long as the person doesn't leave me somewhere," Kara looked up at the golden mask, and the glowing tri-colored eyes, "Is this place we have to go far in the water?"

Jaller pulled her to a side dock, past a larger hut and pointed to a spot once they were at the end. "See that domed, semi-open place?" he asked, the small islet was only a few hundred feet away, framed by trees alone the supports to make a little bit of an illusion. "Would you be okay if I helped you over there?" The Guard Captain pointed down at the waters.

The earth Kora bit her lip, starting at the water for a long minute, crouching down to hesitantly touch it, seeing that the waters were still warm. Not as warm as in the long days but... She looked up as Jaller knelt down beside her. She blushed again, humming subconsciously in the more normal Bionicle equivalent of a blush. "You won't… let me go or leave me there?" she asked in a tiny voice, aware on some level a to-be protector of the island maybe shouldn't be this nervous and scared of the thought of being stuck alone in water or surrounded by it.

The Ta-Matoran offered a hand to Kara again, palm up while his other was resting on her back, "I won't," Jaller promised to her, "With my honor as the Captain of the Guard of Ta-Koro, I won't leave you or drop you on the swim over and back. But I really think you should come see this Suva, Kara." He looked the human formed Kora in the eyes, and then looked over to the islet, where there was a faint glow at water level now as it became full dark.

The Kora of earth, looked down before touching the offered hand, "Alright," she said, deciding to trust the Matoran and making him smile. Kara shifted and sat down on the edge of the dock, letting her legs rest in the water, the simple leggings soaking at once. She swallowed, looking over to watch as Jaller half sat, half turned as he sank into the sheltered waters of the Koro.

Jaller kicked, adjusting himself to remember how to move in the water before putting a hand on the dock and offering the other one out, "Okay, here, take my hand, brace on me and the dock, or my shoulder and you should be able to keep your head up getting in Kara."

Kara swallowed thickly, and knew that the Ta-Matoran could see the shivers running up her spine as she tightly clasped the offered hand, moving slowly- if a bit ridged herself now as she followed the Captain's instructions to lower herself down. Only once she was down in the water and clinging to the dock edge did she start regretting, but getting in and for not tying her hair back. "Are you sure... you can bring me over?"

"I can Kora," Jaller promised again grinning wide in assurance, he turned to start to let her reach around and grip his shoulders, suddenly very glade Turaga Nokama had convinced him those centuries ago to really learn how to swim. Not just for himself but as a Guard Member in general in case he needed to go after some Matoran that fell in past their depth that couldn't swim. "You're smaller and lighter than me still, so you can hang onto my shoulders okay? Don't pull your legs up." Jaller let go of the dock to tread water, poking the soft organic knees.

"Okay..." Kara shivered, clinging close to the biomechanical back, it felt like the hardest thing she ever did to not pull her legs up and try to perch on the Ta-Matoran's back. Even harder than that long dark, cold walk through the Onu-Wahi tunnels before Onua found her. She chirped out a nerviuse sound, and then frowned as Jaller chuckled. "its not funny..."

"Yes it is, you sound Bionicle, not human then." Jaller glanced over his shoulder at the human-formed Kora as he started swimming out to the Suva, "Its cute."

Kara flushed and gave a small humming sound at that in return, becoming a little flustered as she was pulled over acoss the water way. Jaller helping her back around once he could feel the first of the stone stairs that were under water. Being taller he could get his feet and after pulling Kara around got her up two steps, taking her hand and supporting her while the Kora regained her balance as they walked into the half submerged Suva.

The kora sucked in her breath, not fully gasping but staring around her as the bio-lumesent plants under the surface all started to really glow, not just the few spotted before. "Is... this Gali's Temple?" she asked, standing in the entrance, not yet walking in.

"Not exactly," Jaller shook his head, looking at the wet hair of the Kora with some interest, "It was a Suva meant for the water element in general, Turaga Nokama made most of it a long, long time ago in the dark times... maybe… seven or eight thousand years ago?" The Ta-Matoran guessed as she gently tugged on the Kora's hand to pull her inside, pointing down at the ground that seemed to be made of stepping stones with water around, though each had small tiles of blue, white and green invaded, "This used to be one of the original village's larger huts for healing and recovery, before the Koro-walls were formed. I even spent time here in the past."

"What happened to it?" Kara asked, looking around in the light not just from the water- she was starting to see a larger pattern that those planes, and even the smaller moss like plants between the stepping stones were forming. There was also light coming from above as the clouds of the day started to disperse, blown away in the night time breeze.

"Rahi, with tanted Kanohi masks," Jaller shrugged, pointing at how the openings in the dome were, "Po-Koro carvers came after hearing, they helped Ga-Koro make new healing halls, but three Po-Matoran made sure this wouldn't fall on anyone, hallowed out openings so its these open design, like a coral. And Fixed the floor."

"It's the Bionicle emblem." Kara realized, her eyes widening as she looked down and around again, they were standing in one of curving outer arches that represented the flow of elements. The glowing plants within water creating a space, and backdrop, she pointed to the large circular pieces like small islands in the middle of the Suva.

Jaller grinned at her. "Yes, it is." He pulled her over to the inside edge of the arch, couching down and pointing at the water plants protected in the Suva, around and under the flowing blue-white glow of water ferns, "See those plants in there? That's Turaga Nokama's garden, those are some of the rarest plants on the island, for the worst cases of shadow sickness." Jaller looked up as Kara moved to settle down on her knees beside him, looking in carefully.

"Are these all there is?" she asked, the Kora amazed as she looked around the still inner waters, blinking as Jaller sat down and drapped his legs in the warm water.

"No, but I heard from Halu- she's the Captain of the Ga-Koro Guard here, that there's other hidden guardians that Turaga Nokama made," Jaller brightened up and smiled, "And toa Gali had been making sheltered areas too, not just hear but working with the Koros all over the island to find places. I heard that some of the great trees in Le-Wahi, have hollow pockets, not just in the branches but in the trunks, were water gathers and some good plants, as well as the glow ferns can grow."

"Like in the river of colors?" Kara wondered, thinking of the cavern like place in her home Koro, where an underground river that flowed from the melting ice of Mount Inu, to the Le-Wahi swamps was exposed beside Onu-Koro.

"The one with the glowing moss?" The Ta-Matoran tilted his head, "Where the Koro get the colors for the glow in the dark village game?"

The Kora of earth nodded, grinning herself now, "Yes... that's fun." She blinked and flushed again as Jaller had echoed her at the same time in regards to the game. "so, is this why you wanted me to see this Suva?" Kara looked back in the pool, moving around to put her legs carefully inside as well, watching the tiny fish, maybe fry investigate human and Bionicle feet.

"Partly," Jaller was looking up, "Was today the first time you came out of Onu-Wahi?" he asked.

Kara nodded, "Yes, from the tunnels into the Kini-Nui," she smiled, "As nice as it is, I have to admit it was really nice seeing daylight again, what I could through the trees. I think Turaga Whenua is too used to the dark."

Jaller snorted, "A lot of Onu-Matoran are, I can always tell who's been underground for the longest stretch before they come back up." He glanced at Kara and lifted a hand, using two fingers to point to his eye, "they act like their blind, even though they only come up at night at first." He chuckled as he saw the Kora smile, as if understanding. "Have you gotten a good look of Bara Magna or Bota Magna?" he asked, tilting his head, the light from the pool reflecting off his mask.

Kara shook her head, glancing over her shoulder back to the Koro's docks, "just then, between the trees." She blinked as Jaller stood back up, pulling her as well. "What?"

"Can you make those jumps in your human form?" Jaller pointed to the little circular islands in the pool.

Kara bit her lip, judging the distance, "I think so, it's about the same as what Onu-Tu was making me do." She paused and added, "Just wetter."

Jaller nodded, "Good, come on, I still want to show you something." He took a few steps back, eyeing the distance and moved. The Ta-matoran pushed off on the edge, clearing the distance with some room to spare, before stepping back with open hands in case the other needed help.

Kara looked around, frowned at Jaller before shrugging with a sigh, the Bionicle life was so different, seemingly random things happening suddenly was slowly becoming normal. The human formed Kora had to take a few more steps back for a running start, just making the jump, but clasping arms with Jaller and he pulled her steady. Th next two jumps a bit shorter, and the last she need to be grabbed to keep from falling back into the water.

The two paused as a clear note rose into the air nearby.

"What was that?" Kara wondered looking around, and then following the pointing finger of the Ta-Matoran, looking between the wide openings of the Suva's dome.

"Lewa's found one of Gali's instruments." Jaller grinned, leading Kara to the outer edge as a few more notes were tested with slightly metallic echo, putting his hands together, "Here, I'll boost you up and you can see him too."

"Thanks?" Kara half asked as she put her foot into the offered step, shifting up. She wasn't new to getting a boost like this, and Jaller was a foot or so taller than her. She sighed gratefully a minute later, settleing down on the outside curve of the dome, even if she was going to get dirty Kara didn't care, there was mostly dry earth in this spot. The Kora looked over as the green mass of Lewa moved, settling down with his legs folded with feet pressed together and pulling what looked like a metal drum, that was flipped so the arch was facing up not down onto the edge of feet.

Jaller pulled himself up, moving around to look over the Kora's head, watching as the Toa started to softly play, using the sides of his hands, or the heal, sometimes his finger tips to create slightly different tones. The Matoran brushed off his arms, "It's a leko drum," Jaller said in a low voice as the Toa focused to tap out an over lapping beat and it was a calming song, "Ga- Le- and Ko-Koros all use them more than the other three."

"He's very good." Kara breathed, watching the Toa's swift movements and focus to use each hand to beat out the rhythm, yet the green giant's touch was light so there was no sour notes, and not high enough to disturb any sleepers.

"Yeah, better then Kopaka by far, he's even better Gali I think." Jaller looked up and smiled as the last of the clouds faded, showing a clear, bright night. "He's even started to teach Takua I heard." The Matoran wait a few minutes, before reaching over to take Kara's hand, drawing her attention to him and them upwards, guessing the Kora was getting out of that habit of looking to a sky.

Kara gasped, eyes wider then before and it was a good thing she was already sitting down. With an old Ko-Matoran lullaby softly filling the air, the Kora of earth was getting her first, really good look at the sky of her new island home.

Part of the sky, even at night was still dominated but the rusty reds, tans of Bara's deserts with darker mountain and some unbleached areas on one side of those ranges. But the other moon of the large planet was rising, agate like with the shades of green of its moon-wide jungles, interspersed with brighter flares of color of yellow, reds and a thread of glittering blue. All on a back drop of a star specked black, but having a closer haze between planet and moons that reflected like the northern lights might on earth.

Jaller grinned, proud of himself as he turned, letting Kara draw up her legs to hug them and sat with the Kora as she stayed to watch Bota Magna rise in the night sky. The Matoran stayed even once Lewa had stopped playing to settle into a meditation, and with the feeling of safety of a Toa near, Jaller eased his guard to lean back on the temple's wall and sleep for a few hours along with the Kora. Both didn't mind being outside that night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just because the Toa/Kora can't have feelings for each other- in this world- doesn't mean Matoran can't induce blushes. and by Mata Nui this was so cute to write.
> 
> Jaller you can be so sweet when you want to beeeee!


	21. A spirit that sees... a past?

"What are you grinning about Hanu of Ice?" Tala arched and eye ridge at the full sized Toa that was kneeling beside her.

Taru who was smiling softly looked down at the currently grown Kora beside him on the snow covered tundra, "I'm glad to see you again my Singer."

Tala tilted her head glancing at the currently clear night sky, noting something seemed off, "You always see me brother."

"True, but you grow different each time." Taru said as he reached out with a flat hand at first. His clawed fingers curling slightly before a swirl of snow lifted off the ground. Glittering in the green-ish light of the moon while the Toa moved his other hand to start forming a shape with the snow, and slightly larger ice crystals he formed, "You have no memory of past lives, living normally only a few human lives before being reborn."

"But?" Tala asked sensing that world being unspoken. Frowning around as she realized there was a more green tint to night time light, looking up for a moon she couldn't seen but should to show this much light. Tala lifted a hand to touch her Kanohi mask, she paused at seeing there were claws were on her fingers, smaller then the Toa's but still defined for her scale- but she didn't have claws.

"But I've lived long enough to see some dominate aspects of you Kora, those dominate personalities of a living core." Taru seemed to be more talking to himself now then Tala. "I've seen you, _this_ you only once, long ago. The very start of your life." The Toa sighed, like the Kora there was barely a cloud from his breath.

"Taru, ya're confusing me Ko-tu." Tala said using the bionicle words for ice brother, and blinked at the ascent that became dominate again in her voice, and realized she was speaking an older Bionicle dialect, not English or any of the human languages she knew.

The Toa stood up slowly, leaving what he had made in the snow as he smiled down at Tala, "Talra, sister, little Toa. I hope when the time comes, I will see you again. You look good in a Rau as well, I don't think you've ever had a none-combatant Kanohi."

Sensing this was, perhaps not a reality, as some memories filtered back into place that she had dosed off in Ga-Koro, Tala stepped after the Toa Hanu, "Brother?"

"Just remember there is always other ways to do things Talra," The ice Toa said as he walked away in the snow, some tundra visible in his foot prints. Small specks and lines of the hardy grass normally hidden until spring were showing before the snow started to collapse back into print.

Tala started after, startled as she went from standing on the snow to sinking into it. She cursed softly, looking up again and finding the massive Toa was gone, without the same height she was almost out of her depth. Looking around, confused at what was happening, the Kora tilted her head again before stopping moving. Taking slow deep breaths, looking at the faint stream, Tala thought over what the Toa had said, not fully sure if it had been her mentor and guardian up until recently.

Was this a dream?

A vision?

Tala new the name Talra was an old one for her, but... what was that about her Kanohi? The Kora touched it again, feeling over the smooth ridges as she looked up, only focusing on the star-scape above. Relaxing a bit more as she tried to get a feel of the world around her, there was snow, it looked like a few areas of Alaska, or Canada. Like and unlike where she had been working with the search and rescue job-

It wasn't cold.

Tala closed her eyes, the blue and red glow vanishing under her lids. It wasn't warm but... she shifted her feet and felt the crunch underfoot. More like gravel crunch rather then the more muffled crunch of snow, or cracks of ice layers. There was no longer any restriting feeling around her legs, and Tala opened her eyes to see two moons glittering above. The missing green Bota Magna, and the blue-silver water moon of Aqua Magna stood out large and real in the sky.

The Kora looked around, finding herself in a very different place, cool of the desert night air, and a brown ground, with a slightly red tint to the earth and rocks. The only thing left from what she had thought was tundra before, was the pale icy Bionicle emblem on the ground. Tala knelt down to touch a smooth curve, mulling over the meanings of the emblem she had to relearn in this life. She noted the claws were gone, looking more like she had before going asleep.

Tala sat up right, looking around, then up again, "Is this Bara?" she asked, and spotted a form walking in the distance, tall like a Toa, maybe a little bigger but had a crest of some sort on a helmet instead of Kanohi. The Kora sat down, pressing her feet together and closed her eyes again, relaxing as she decided to go with the flow of this dream or vision or what ever it was.

"Are well young one?" a male voice, with a darker edge of amusement ask from across the Kora.

Tala opened her eyes once more, and jerked back from the hulking form sitting across from her. She had only time to take in the image of a corrupted Kanohi, rust flaking protodurmus armor and glowing red-orange and white eyes looked as the Nuva like form leaned forwards.

"Do you fear the Shadows little Toa?"


	22. A spirit that sees the present veil

Matoro looked up at the sudden movement just to his left, and was able to get his hunting knife out of the way before he had a lap full of confused, cursing Kora. The Language master blinked but then smiled, he likely was one of the few Matoran that knew full well what was said. "Are you alright Kora Tala?" Matoro asked, setting the hunting knife aside to his right and set his hands on the shiver white metal. "Its alright, you're fine and whole." the Ko-Matoran added, thinking Tala wasn't used to seeing her real Bionicle body again.

"I'm fine- its all okay- ow..." Tala mumbled into the Matoran's lag, not moving at first, the Kora was still, feeling Matoro shifting only to reach out and rub at some exposed organic parts, where tension built up against the integrated armor.

Feeling a sigh, Matoro leaned to his right and smiled at the Rua that lifted to meet his gaze. "Better?"

"Yeah...sorry fer usin' ya as a latchin' post." Tala said, her words still muffled at first before she sat up slowly on her hands and knees, setting back down beside Matoro.

"Still having some bad dreams?" The Matoran asked, frowning for a moment in worry.

"Not so much bad," Tala said, staring at her hands, that looked more alike to Matoro's then Kopaka right now, "Confusing. It was a tundra with no moons, then desert on Bara I think? Maybe I was reading too much to the made up stories before we came out here."

The just as pale Matoran shrugged, "You did eat a lot once you were walking again, You likely just had a strange food-dream Tala."

The Kora nodded, looking at the blue-silver-white eyes that glowed in the dim light of the hut they were in. She looked around and hmmed, taking in the differences in the style this village used. "The Ga-Matoran I think are better at improvising," She noted, reaching out to pick up a cup made of three parts of the same kind of shell joined almost seamlessly, sniffing at the cool tea inside.

Matoro chuckled, "Yes, don't tell any Ta- or Po- Matoran but I like the crafing style here more."

Tala looked up, "Wait, is this were you got those plates and bowls?"

The language Master nodded, "made from larger shells and polished. Looks like ice crystal don't they? And don't worry, its not the Turaga's tea Tala, I made it after waking up earlier." he chuckled as the Kora gave a revealed sigh as she lifted the cup up.

"Soo... silly question?" Tala asked, tilting her head at the male beside her.

"You know you can trust me for silly seeming questions," Matoro grinned now at his friend, he liked that Tala trusted him to ask what even she thought would be embarrassing to ask just anyone or the Turaga.

"Is shell fish a thing here?" Tala asked, focusing on her words to make sure she wasn't mixing too many English words into what she was saying. "For food and generally tasty things?"

Matoro took his hunting knife and slipped it into the sheath on his leg, rising up he smiled again, "Yes there is, lets go find some food we don't get in Ko-Koro." He offered a hand, helping the Kora up to her feet beside him.

"How long until its dawn?" Tala asked after they found themselves outside of the hut they had been offered to sleep in as the owner was off making a boat and wide awake.

"Probably another few hours, about four and half, maybe five." Matoro said as he looked up at the other moon world and Bara in the sky. "Tala?"

"Yeah?" The Kora tilted her head away from an odd study of what was viable of Bara Magna. Tala paused and stopped when the matoran did, who was looking down at her. "Did I do somethin'?"

"No, what did Turana Nokama say when she talked to you? About growing?" Matoro wondered, lifting a hand to hold over the Kora's head, "You're matoran size, in that human form and now."

"Its apparently gonna to happen pretty fast, over the nest few weeks." Tala said, wondering why Matoro of all Bionicle wasn't told this. She caught his wince and gave a lopsided smile, "I know, its gonna hurt a lot."

"You'll be gaining mass as well as height." Matoro worried, the white colored male looking around before hugging Tala, "I don't know how you'll change, but I will hunt for you as well. I might not get nearly as much as Kopaka can..."

"...thank ya Matoro." Tala hugged the male back, understanding the offer wasn't from someone wanting to invest in a protector, but really worry. "I'm grateful for the offer, "

"You're one of my friends." Matoro said, he didn't feel he had many true friends outside of the Chronicler's Company he was apart of.

"And ya're my friend," Tala stood back, hands on Matoro's forearms, his were on her shoulders, "Ya've just seen me as Tala, not Kora. An put up with my madness." She grinned.

Matoro smiled back, making a quiet mental note of this now that it was spoken aloud. "Still hungry?"

Tala looked sheepish, "Yes."

Matoro pulled Tala with him down the dock, waving to some Ga-Matoran that were wide awake on the beach not far away, they had a soup pot and he headed that way. It seemed to have enough for two more to eat. "Hello Ga-gi," Matoro said politely smiling at the females.

"Good morning Language Master, Kora!" one of the three said, waving them to join, Matoro recognizing the Speaker as one of the two who owned the hut he and Tala has slept in.

"Thank you Niru, for letting us stay in your hut," Matoro sat down second, pressing his feet together like the other Matoran were, and Tala fallowed suite.

"You're welcome, we're normally awake in the night anyways." Niru said, shifting to let Tala see what she was working on, weaving baskets out of the piles of purple tinted reeds beside each of the Ga-Matoran. "We're making some baskets for Po-Koro crafters, Kora."

"You're really fast at that," Tala praised, starting to sip on the soup's broth as soon as she was handed a bowl. "Really fast." She said again watching the quick fingertips working the treated reeds around and through.

"Well," another of the Ga-Matoran looked up, smiling in pride as she didn't have to look to get the weaving right, "We _have_ been doing this for several centuries."

"Point well made," Tala said as she chewed on something like a clam but sized more like a chuck of lobster or crab. "Can I try?"

The last Ga-Matoran looked up, who was sitting on the other side of Matoro, and smiled, she spoke in a very soft, shy voice, "I can teach you some basics." She peeked up at the pale male beside her, "Both of you?"

"I...ah," Matoro hesitated, and as Tala elbowed his left arm gave a soft humming, the Bionicle equivalent of a blush. "I'd like that Garoro..."

The soft spoken Matoran, Garoro ducked her head, humming as well. "You...you'll need some reeds, when you're done. Eatting that is." she glanced over at Tala who was getting another bowl, looking confused for a split second before realizing the giggles of the other two were for the Ko-Matoran's silent reactions.

It was several hours later when Gali found the little group laughing, most of them, as she was checking in on each of the younger elemental in her village herself. The Toa arched up an eye ridge of her Kanohi mask, "You are doing well Matoro," she said noticing the nearly complete basket in his lap, though at least six beside the Ga-Matoran.

There was another set of giggles, Matoro looked up with a soft smile and amused chuckle. "Thank you Toa Gali, you should see what Tala has made."

"Noooo, you don't," The Kora said with a sigh, tossing up her arms and glaring down at the lopsided...plate? It was in her own lap, "Give me some ice crystal to make spear heads out of, or a _gator_ but I can't get this down."

Gali chuckled, kneeling and leaning over to see exactly what Tala had been attempting to weave until it was held of for inspection. "...ah, you're first attempt?" she asked.

Tala huffed and tossed the weble thing to the side with four other odd shapes before reaching for her bowl and the cooking pot, "No." but she smiled, as the Kora knew her failures of basket attempts, were a source amusement for the Matoran and now there were calling her by name instead of just 'Kora.'


End file.
